Mr. Bryant Gomez is an AP US History and AP US Government and Politics teacher at CRLS. This is his first year teaching in Cambridge.
The following interview has been edited for concision and clarity.
RF: What inspired you to become a teacher?
Mr. Gomez: I wasn’t the best student in high school. I was the type of student that did a lot of bad stuff like bringing animals to school and starting my first school lunch fight. I think it’s ironic that I was the worst student in high school, but ended up becoming a teacher.
My teaching journey actually started when I was invited to a fundraiser at Boston College. I met the president, and I was just telling him a couple of jokes about cars. He told me, “You should apply to this program.” I emailed him, applied, and got in—it was a program for teaching. I just wanted to help students, and that’s my motivation. I know that sounds cheesy, but it just made sense to me.
RF: What stood out about Cambridge that made you want to teach at CRLS?
Mr. Gomez: Cambridge seems like it’s a very good environment to teach in. You know, high expectations among teachers and students, and that mirrors how I do things in general—I have high expectations of all my students and my colleagues. I like to think that I do a pretty good job of teaching history to some degree.
RF: What do you hope that students will take away from your classes?
Mr. Gomez: Perseverance. Things are going to get harder from here on out—we have to make sure that students are aware that the minute you step into that college class, mommy and daddy won’t be there. It’s going to be hard. You’re going to be challenged in every way possible. But it’s important that students know that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Don’t go to college just to get a degree. Go to college to do something that you actually have a passion for.
RF: What has Cambridge been like for you as an educator of color?
Mr. Gomez: There are definitely some signs of institutional racism; I personally would rather have my racism overt. I don’t feel unwelcome, but I do know that a lot of people are on their journey. When I look at some of my colleagues who have Black Lives Matter signs on their doors, I need to see more than that. That’s cool that you have that sign there, but, like, are you actually about it? Are you actually about the fight, about the struggle? I don’t know.
RF: What changes would you like to see at CRLS?
Mr. Gomez: I would like to see more emphasis on social-emotional learning, having students do some self-reflection on themselves, how they’re showing up in the world, and how they’re treating each other. That’s some work that really, I don’t think has been done here at CRLS. Academics are important, but the question I have for every educator in this building is, “Is your student leaving your class a better human being?”
