Every year, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) chooses 24 teachers to be recognized as Teacher of the Year who have demonstrated a strong commitment to their students and community. Nominations for Teacher of the Year are made via the LAUSD website where students, parents, and district employees are encouraged to make nominations. Once the nomination window closes, those who are nominated are invited to apply and submit a Teacher of the Year application.
This year, Agustin Sarmiento, Computer Science teacher and MACES Robotics adviser, received this outstanding recognition for his ongoing dedication and effort to create an innovative Computer Science (CS) program at MACES.
Since beginning his teaching position at MACES, Sarmiento has strived for fostering an engaging classroom environment where students are encouraged to try new ways of learning. He promotes a way of education that doesn’t solely focus on forced guidance, but instead focuses on self-approach and problem-solving. “I’m not necessarily the expert; I’m the facilitator and we’re here to make mistakes together, to learn together, and get through it together. That’s the bottom line, giving the students more empowerment opposed to me being the all-knowing,” Sarmiento said.
With a type of approach that allows the students to grow, it exemplifies how great of a teacher he is and how valued his qualities are. “Mr. Sarmiento is an excellent teacher. He approaches teaching with the lens of innovation, creativity, and problem solving. He focuses on students really understanding that no matter what career they choose they will take these skills that they learn in CS beyond just the classroom and that really sets him apart,” Mrs. Camarena, a colleague and CS teacher said.
Students alike have shared their appreciation for his teaching efforts and have expressed how his dedication to CS has exemplified their willingness to explore new pathways. “I think that Sarmiento’s patience is what I’ve always admired the most about him. He works with a range of students and he keeps the same patience with them all. He’s always there as a means of support, but he allows the students to guide themselves, let their creativity run, have their crazy ideas and execute them,” senior and CS Honor Society President Emely Cardenas said.
His mentorship extends beyond the classroom, guiding students through many competitive robotics events and encouraging success for all regardless of how experienced they may be with robotics. “I think I speak for the entire club when I say he has confidence in our success even when we feel like we can’t do it. Mr. Sarmiento always makes it known he has faith in us. This faith really makes it feel like reality that we can succeed in CS,” Hailey Montenegro, a sophomore and robotics member said.
In response to receiving recognition from LAUSD as Teacher of the Year, Sarmiento has expressed gratitude and emphasized the importance of this award to him. “I’m excited, I’m happy. This is my 18th year now so to be acknowledged in this way is a really good feeling. To me that also acknowledges the fact that what I’m doing here at MACES is getting out. What we do here is so special and deserves to be recognized outside of just the people in our school and our community,” Sarmiento said.
As Sarmiento continues to empower students, his recognition as Teacher of the Year stands not just as an award, but as a reminder of inspiration he has fostered.
