About Mr. Daniel Jimenez
Early life
I grew up in the South East Side of Chicago. I became interested in Social Studies in college. I am fascinated by how the world and the government works. Why is the world the way that it is? Why do people behave the way that they do? How does change happen?
Education
I went to University of Illinois at Chicago for 4 years and graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in the Teaching of History/Social Studies. I became interested in Social Studies when I was going to art school after graduating from high school. The art school required that students take general education classes and at the time I was losing interest in a career in animation. That's when I was lucky to meet an amazing teacher named Mr. Sullivan who taught psychology and sociology. He was very smart, energetic, funny, and he had a talent for making subjects that I used to find boring, very interesting and relevant. His class was so great I would have stayed extra hours if I could have. His class was the first time I truly felt excited and passionate about learning Social Studies and actually wanted to talk to my parents about what I learned in school. After having Mr. Sullivan as a teacher I wished I had had more teachers like him when I was younger. I would've enjoyed school so much more. I was so inspired that I decided to take a huge risk and change majors to become a teacher. I had very little experience with public speaking and teaching but I thought it was worth trying. My hope was that if I worked hard enough I could provide a similar positive experience for future generations of students.
Classes
I teach AVID World Studies and AP Government. I really enjoy both subjects and working with freshmen and juniors.
I also found out about Curie High School from my sister and future brother-in-law who was a Curie alumni. I decided to apply and was happy to be hired and well-received by students!
