From dream to reality

He thoroughly scans the pages of a Chuck Klostermann novel, and as the chapter ends, an epiphany occurs. His dream all along had been to become an English teacher — it was teaching that he truly wanted to pursue.

Newly-appointed English II teacher Robert Nuñez is fulfilling his dream of teaching by officially joining the Hebron English department. Prior to joining Hebron at the beginning of the semester, Nuñez worked at a medical company called Stryker before making the official decision to teach.

“I knew I had wanted to be a teacher for years, not immediately out of high school, but a few years after,” Nuñez said. “I thought that [teaching] would be something I would really enjoy and the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to do it.”

After he left Stryker, Nuñez worked a smaller role at Flower Mound High School. One of the teachers he worked alongside at Flower Mound was English teacher Dena O’Banion.

“I would say [in three words, Mr. Nuñez is] happy, adaptive and engaging,” O’Banion said. “His personality was infectious in the classroom, [and] he was a pleasure to be around. He was really good at recognizing concerns and adapting when needed.” 

Nuñez’s father coached high school athletes and taught, so Nuñez said he takes after his methods of teaching.

“[My father] took me under his wing and that sort of method and style,” Nuñez said. “I always knew I had a lot of patience and understanding; I found myself enjoying problem solving and helping people understand things. I think [teaching] just came naturally.”

English department head Donna Friend was a part of the interview process in deciding who would replace the vacant spot in the English department after a mid-year resignation last semester. 

“I thought he was very confident and smiled a lot,” Friend said. “It didn’t matter what question we asked him, he was positive in his answers and excited. That’s the kind of teacher you want. You want to walk into a classroom where the teacher smiles at you and is excited to be there.”

Aside from following his dreams of teaching, Nuñez plays a variety of different instruments, ranging from a keyboard, micro synth, guitar and bass drums.

“When I was younger, fresh out of high school, I thought that I could really go further with music,” Nuñez said. “I was playing with friends and we had a garage band-ish set up. I was really passionate about music – I still am. I have instruments [and] a jam room at my house.”

Nunez said he is excited to begin his teaching career at Hebron, as he teaches both English II and Sci-Fi classes.

“What I remember really liking for our interview was his excitement, like he wants to get to know teenagers,” Friend said. “He wants to work with them to help them be better readers and writers, and he said that teaching had been a lifelong dream of his. He actually tried a different career first and then decided that he was gonna give [educating the youth] a shot, so it’s kind of fun to watch him try out that dream for the first time.”