Science teacher Alex Joanis works with Native American students on the Spokane Indian Reservation in the state of Washington.

Throughout our country, there are many talented and dedicated educators who work with culturally diverse groups of students. One of these is science teacher Alex Joanis, who works with Native American students on a reservation in the state of Washington.

Alex was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1995.  As an adolescent, he attended Santiago High School in Corona, California. After high school, he enrolled in California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, in San Luis Obispo. There he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, cum laude, in 2017. He earned his teaching credential from the same college in 2018.

Alex cites several sources that influenced his decision to become an educator. First, he gives credit to his AP Chemistry teacher, Dr. Branton Lachman. “He was a great teacher who pushed me to do the best I could, and provided all of the resources and opportunities that I needed to achieve my academic potential and engage in authentic science learning,” Alex remembers.

Also, Alex says his experiences a a tutor deepened his resolve to go into the profession. “There’s a really neat feeling I get whenever I help someone else understand something they were struggling to get before,” he declares. “The light bulb goes off in their head, I can sense that, and I’m flush with a good feeling. It’s just nice to help people do the things they struggle to do on their own, and I like having that feeling,” he continued. “I also had an internship class in high school, where I got to drive down to my old elementary school and essentially act as a teacher’s assistant for two hours in one of the fifth grade classrooms. Just like how I loved the feeling of helping people ‘get stuff,’ I loved the feeling of building rapport with a group and being relied on for help,” he concluded.

After his student teaching experience at Templeton High School in Templeton, San Luis Obispo County, California, Alex accepted a teaching position at Wellpinit High School in the state of Washington. Alex has taught there for two years, instructing courses in biology, physics, chemistry, food science, and environmental science. The Wellpinit School District is a K-12 public school system located on the Spokane Indian Reservation. The school’s minority enrollment is 94%, and 82% of students are economically disadvantaged.

“Because I’m at a very small school, I get to sink more time into building relationships with the few students I have,” asserts Alex. “I’ve really taken a liking to this year’s sophomore class. They’re very easy-going, and now that I understand them better as individuals and as a group, I’m able to get them to engage more with the content and buy into the educational experiences I’m trying to give them,” he says.

In addition to his classroom responsibilities, Alex is one of two advisers for the sophomore class. He’s also working with a colleague to revitalize extra-curricular clubs that would provide students with leadership opportunities.

What advice would Alex share with fellow educators? He suggests that it is important to remember that there are students in your classroom that recognize the work you put into it and appreciate what you do. “Real recognizes real,” he says, “and as long as you present yourself authentically and do the best you can, you will have students that recognize that, respect the work you do, and put in some effort,” he advises.

Alex Joanis: A true Chalkboard Champion.