As long as you try your best and the students see that you are invested, that is all that counts.
Meet Mr. Helder Almeida, a Math teacher here at GNBVT. Mr. Almeida has been a teacher here for 5 years and has taught at other schools including Davis Leadership Academy in Dorchester and New Bedford High School. Mr. Almeida graduated from the Collision Repair program at Voc-Tech. His original plan was to own an auto body repair shop but after going through co-op, he realized how much he didn’t really connect with it.
As a student, he had David Gonclaves as a teacher and enjoyed the connection and closeness he had with him. Inspired by Mr. Goncalves and his love for math, he pursued Mathematics and Secondary Education. For his Bachelor’s he attended Bridgewater State University and UMASS Dartmouth for his Master’s Degree. While teaching, he tries to incorporate personal experiences and life lessons to inspire and motivate his students to work harder.
Working at Voc-Tech has allowed him to give back to his community that he feels very strongly about. He feels very comfortable here because he was a former student and the positive team-building atmosphere of the school is something he enjoys. His favorite part about being a teacher is being able to interact with the students and truly getting to know them. His most challenging part of being a teacher is not being able to help every student. During the summer, he enjoys traveling around the world and seeing new places. His go-to place is Cape Verde to visit his mother and other family members. In his free time, he spends time with his friends fishing and taking care of house properties that he rents out. Ten years from now he sees himself still at this school teaching and starting his own family. Mr. Almeida is motivated by his family, his journey, and what he wants to achieve. He hopes to be the best teacher he can be and inspire other students.
Article and Picture by: Skyler Pereyra, Senior Media Technology