I used to work at a theme park. It was about getting people to smile and be happy and switch off a little piece of their life that they don’t have to deal with. It sounds cliché, but just simple things — like seeing a dad share a moment with his kid — man, that made it worth it. Eventually, I got an offer to take a job at a start-up that would pay me three or four times more. So I followed the money. And I hated my job. 

I’d dealt with anxiety and depression since I was a kid, but that’s when I got diagnosed as clinically depressed. I thought, If this job is making me sad, what job is going to bring me happiness? 

My best friend was a teacher, and he had just gotten a job at our old high school. I’m not going to lie; the first thing I thought was, Man, you get summers off? Maybe I should just leave and go be a teacher. But then I realized I could have a meaningful connection with kids in high school. 

I wasn’t that good of a kid, but I got into a college prep program for low-income students. And honestly, it’s the only reason I went to college — Mr. Elliott helped me get in. Man, that made a difference for me. If I could do that for just one kid, that would be fine.  

As I was thinking about this, my company laid off three-quarters of the staff — including me. I got a job back at the theme park and started taking one teaching class just to get things rolling. Then the theme park closed down. So I went all in on teaching. 

To get a degree, I needed to do a full year of student teaching unpaid. And that meant I couldn’t start work until 2 p.m. every day. I tried driving with Lyft, and I made $150 the first day. So I said, OK, it’s viable. 

Last August, I started student teaching. The schedule is 7:45 to 2:45. Then I grab some gas and drive from 3 to 8 or 9. And then I work on lesson plans until about midnight. My depression is really bad in the morning, so getting to school is a struggle. But when I see those kids, even if they’re grumpy, I think, I get to do something positive for them today. And man, when you see it click, there’s no better feeling.

I’ve never done a job as hard as teaching in my life to be honest. But it’s worth it.

Recently, I subbed in a math class for 10th and 11th graders who are struggling and have the potential to go down the wrong path. This girl walks in, and she’s very vocal and disrespectful to her friends. She just doesn’t care. And they’re working on a math worksheet. She doesn’t want to do it, and she’s trying to get attention and causing trouble. 

So I go sit with her on the floor, and I say, “Look, you want to come off as this really cool kid, but let’s try one.” I look at the problem, and it’s basic division. She’s really behind. So I did it with her, taught a little. But I can tell she’s getting embarrassed because we’re next to her friends. So I told her my knees hurt, and we went to a desk. And it all changed. She was really attentive. And I’ll never forget this. By the end of class, she goes, “No one has ever helped me.” And she cried. I got to give her some hope that people care. 

Before teaching, I used to get to work and think, When is this over? And now time flies by. I have millions of voices calling my name. I hear “Mr. Flores!” thousands of times a week. I don’t know how to explain it, but it just brings me happiness. 

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