Mr. Jerry Cox, the Avid and Yearbook advisor, at our very own Cesar Chavez High has been working hard on his second consecutive yearbook. Growing up and currently living in Modesto, he doesn’t teach far from home. A graduate from Pacific Union College (2004) and has been teaching for 12 almost 13 years. Before becoming a teacher (2006) he was in sales and hiring manager/recruiter. However, he did not start his teaching career at Chavez but instead at Edison High School, as an English teacher.

He transferred from Edison to Chavez in 2015 and started teaching AVID immediately. When asked about why he became a teacher he replied, “ I like making a difference.” As a student who has had Mr.Cox, I can honestly say he does indeed make a difference as he is passionate about helping students graduate high school, move on to attend college.

Avid has quickly become one of his main pedagogical focuses. “I like the Avid system because Avid is about kids attending college.” he continues, “I like having the opportunity to inspire and help young people.” Mr.Cox’s inspiration for teaching started with his very own teachers who made teaching fun and interesting, teachers who were passionate about teaching. He says, “ More importantly it was teachers who made me feel important like I was worth something.”

Mr.Cox is also currently the yearbook teacher. His third period class will be the place where everything magically comes together into memories that will last for CCHS alum. This class works alongside Journalism (taught by Mr.Gruno), helping provide pictures to stories and more.

Mr. Cox doesn’t just focus on the classroom. He also spends much of his time attending extracurricular events for Cesar Chavez High. He attends games such as football games, volleyball games, and other events. Not only is he doing this, but currently he is trying to help Seniors get their pictures for the yearbook taken also.

In his classes, he tries to make everything fun. When you walk towards his door, he is always standing outside greeting each student, whether his or not, with a fist pump or a high five. Whichever one you prefer. He is serious about getting Seniors ahead in life, but also applies humor to his teachings to grasp student’s attention on the subject and simply to lighten the room a bit.

Another greet strategy that he implements is his “choice theory” for students. The choice theory is an A or B. For example he will say, “Hey you can put your phone away or I can take it.”

Mr. Cox over all is an amazing teacher who strives to help students achieve their goals.