History teacher Mr. Charles Garber has been making an impact on his students’ lives for the 11 years that he has been teaching at Los Banos High.

In 2014 he began teaching Geography and World History, a year later he switched his focus to the subject of U.S. History. History was always a class that he enjoyed in college and excelled in throughout college, so when it came down to choosing which subject he would teach, the choice was easy. Since he wanted to teach high school and history was one of the common classes, he quickly jumped at the opportunity. 

Garber included that his favorite part of teaching is being able to work with students in the classroom. For him, being able to teach them how to do something, or share information with them about all of the fun and wild things that have happened in history throughout the years has been the most rewarding part. 

When asked about the impact he’s had on his students over the years, he shared, “I do feel that I have an impact on students because I believe we all have an impact on those we interact with. How big of an impact? I am not sure. Maybe it is just that a student has a better day, or figured out how to write a proper thesis statement. I recently had a student share with me that they are becoming a history teacher because of their experience in my class. That felt very rewarding.” 

Garber offered advice to students and explained how they should always be open to new experiences, “This way, you can figure out things you do and don’t like. Also, don’t be afraid to change your mind. We all change as we grow and have new experiences. Things I used to not like, I do like now, and vice versa.” 

In addition to being open to new experiences Garber added one of his personal mottos he believes will help students throughout their time in high school is “know thyself” he went onto explain “I interpret to mean doing what you believe you should do rather than forcing yourself into something that is not for you just because others say you should.” 

Outside of teaching, Garber likes to spend his time traveling with his family, and focusing on his hobbies such as snowboarding, playing golf, and barbecuing. Garber revealed that he’s also been into rock concerts lately. These experiences add onto Garber’s passion for storytelling, in his class he loves to share stories with his students of his early childhood years spent in South Africa where baboons stole his candy. 

Garber also wanted to extend gratitude to everyone who has helped him out throughout his teaching career, stating, “I would like to say thank you to my coworkers and students. To my coworkers, thank you for helping me when I was a new teacher, and for being there for me when I needed someone to listen. To my students, thank you for working hard and for your positivity and kindness. Who you spend your time with matters, and I feel extremely fortunate to be around such good hearted people.” 

Garber has shown a lot of support to his students. His future students are lucky to have such a positive teacher.