Standing in front of the door of room U229, students are greeted every day by Mr. Sanchez’s warm smile and colorfully bright LED room. Teaching at PPCHS for the past four years, Mr. Sanchez has established himself as more than just a teacher, but an individual who serves to inspire all the students he crosses paths with at Charter. Although holding his position close to his heart, Mr. Sanchez has decided to leave his teaching classes and embark on a new adventure to discover the world.
Starting his career as an educator five years ago, Mr. Sanchez began teaching 6th grade World History in Renaissance Charter in Cooper City. Following his transfer to PPCHS in his second year of teaching and staying here ever since. Now established in Charter, he teaches 12th grade History and UTAP which is an introduction to education and principles of internships for those students interested in becoming educators.
The decision to leave his teaching career and work full-time traveling arose when one of his friends working at United Airlines planned on putting Mr. Sanchez on travel benefits. This would allow Mr. Sanchez to travel for free starting on January 1st. At first, he thought this would be a great opportunity for him to travel on his time off from work and go on vacations. Then an opportunity presented itself during the summer when he had a travel agency reach out to him because of the different content he had posted online.
He first decided to do this part-time on the side and within the past nine weeks, he decided to turn it into a full-time job. A lot of transitions have gone into it, but he describes his motive for making this life-changing decision. “This is the youngest I will ever be, so I had a realization that even though it’s not ideal to leave mid-school year, how often do people get to say that they can fly for free and how often could they take their work remotely? This is the only time that looks like an open opportunity for me, so I had to take it.”
Mr. Sanchez started his career in advertising and marketing at the University of Central Florida (UCF) and revealed that “I was never meant to go into teaching.” He started working for a travel agency in 2019, however, half of the company got laid off and at this time he was in Italy. So, it was time to go back to the United States and decide what he wanted to do. He asked himself, “What is a job I can stay stable in, but still bring in the knowledge from all the different places I have been to? And that brings me to being a World History teacher.”
His first year of teaching was as a World History teacher where he got the opportunity to share the knowledge from all the places he had previously visited. This passion for travel he says, “Has always been there. Traveling has always been a passion of mine. I’ve been doing it since before I was teaching.”
At first, being an educator was a filler job after having to come back to America from Europe after being laid off. However, Sanchez quickly realized this job had become something more. “I decided to stay longer than I thought I would because I truly did love the students I got to work with. Working at Pines Charter has been incredible. I have always felt the support from administration, and my co-workers. So although this time is coming to an end, I look back very fondly on my time here.”
Reflecting on his past summer, Mr. Sanchez reveals Greece to have been the destination that inspired him to go back into travel. “When I was there I reflected on what I wanted to do and although I love teaching and I never thought I would leave, it made me realize I truly missed travel because that’s what I was doing before being a teacher.”
Although nervous, after five years of educating the youth about World History, Mr. Sanchez remains confident that his knowledge and expertise have advanced, and now knows more than what he knew back in 2019. He described his nerves as “good nerves” and explained that, “When you step into something unknown, we’re always gonna have that ‘what if.’ What if this happens? What if that happens? But, what if it goes right? What if it turns into like the biggest blessing of your life? And so I’m going into it very optimistic.”
He announced the news to his students right before Thanksgiving break which was a shock because “I have really good bonds with my students. I have been teaching here for four years now and some of them are returning students, so this isn’t something they saw coming, and I didn’t see it coming either.” There were mixed reactions and although everyone is supportive of his decision, he is also aware that most of the students feel sad and are going to miss his presence just like he is going to miss seeing them daily.
His last official day is December 20th because the new teacher will be starting January 6th, the day back from Winter break. Although there is no confirmed replacement teacher for his history classes, the new teacher for UTAP is Mr. Holland. Mr. Sanchez shares that Mr. Holland is, “A great choice. It was an easy pick. He was someone who received teacher of the year in 2023 and he is currently the social studies department head. So when I thought of who would be a good sponsor for the program, he was the first person in mind.”
When making this difficult decision, he explains that he went into it with a strategy to prevent himself from feeling nervous about approaching the situation. “I felt like I wasn’t just going into that meeting with Mr. Bayer or Mr. Holland without having some sort of backup. I went into it having a plan and they appreciated that because I do care and love Charter. I think my actions have shown that and again, it’s not the most ideal leaving mid-school year, but I did it in a way that is somewhat seamless so that this transition is smooth.”
In terms of what he will be taking away from his years in Charter, he simply states: the students. “Even talking about it gets me a little emotional because I have come across incredible, talented, and savvy students who have opened my perspective of who I am as a person. Although I stand in front of the class and I teach them, they have also taught me lessons that I’m going to carry with me for the rest of my life.” The community that he has been able to build inside the classroom has created a bond he feels will remain a part of him.
“If there’s anything I want my students to know, it’s to take every opportunity that presents itself, even if you don’t know all the answers, because the answers will eventually show itself.” He emphasizes the importance of allowing yourself to be scared and uncomfortable because that’s what’s going to force you to grow. He realizes that if he hadn’t made the final decision five years ago to go into teaching, with no previous experience, he would have never discovered the impact he would have on his students.
“So I hope my students take every opportunity that life has for them because some opportunities don’t open up twice. They only open up one time and leave a legacy to be open to what the world has to offer to you.”
Mr. Sanchez not only has grown his experiences as a traveler but also has a growing platform on TikTok and Instagram. He explains that he studied advertising at UCF. “I’ve always been into content creation and social media advertising and digital marketing. Now with this upcoming year, my focus is that social media component in addition to working for this travel agency.”
Mr. Sanchez is completing a personal challenge called 30 for 30 where he goes to 30 different cities across the world and 15 different countries. He will be posting a lot of his journey on his platform where he will have the opportunity to showcase his experiences and share his knowledge. “I think with social media, I use it not for me, but to add value for other people.”
Although the 30 for 30 is a personal challenge, some people might see it as just a vacation. The reality is that Mr. Sanchez views this as an opportunity to educate people about different cultures and different experiences. “They too can gain out of life and we only have one life to live. The time is ticking and I don’t want to be hiking with a cane in my future. I want to do it now while I’m able.”
His next destination in celebration of New Year is Fairbanks, Alaska to see the northern lights. However, his working travel journeys officially begin January 1st in Thailand where he will then go to Vietnam, Japan, and keep on going around the world.
“It’s a culture shock. In the United States, there is such a hustle and drive. Although they have that drive everywhere in the world, you feel that difference when you’re abroad. That’s something that I learned in Spain. It’s a completely different lifestyle. In Europe, everything is more relaxed. You just have to enjoy the moment.”
As Mr. Sanchez embarks on this new adventure, he leaves a legacy behind that will be carried on in the hearts of all the students he has touched at PPCHS. From World History to world travel, Mr. Sanchez is sure to send us a postcard from the destinations he seeks to visit for a lifetime filled with education and knowledge.
Farewell, Mr. Sanchez, and safe travels!
-From the Pines Charter Community
