PHOENIX — A Mesa high school teacher has been named KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Gaydos and Chad Show‘s Pay Tribute to a Teacher winner for January, presented by Your Valley Toyota Dealers.

Jesse Ruiz teaches AP calculus and physics at Skyline High School, often working long hours to ensure all of his students understand the material and are set up for success.

What sets Ruiz apart from others is his eagerness to raise the bar and come up with new, creative ideas to help his students learn the material in an effective way, prompting his sister to nominate him for the $2,500 prize.

“Teaching became one of my passions probably in college. I was a teacher’s assistant for one of my physics courses and helping other students just kind of put a bug in me,” Ruiz said.

“And spreading the word of physics and math, you know, I know it’s not everyone’s favorite subject, but I love it so much. I think my bubbly personality kind of helps with that.”

Even when the class is participating in fire drills, Ruiz encourages his students to bring their white boards so he can continue the lesson, someone wrote in a letter.

The charismatic and dedicated teacher also goes as far as to spend hours of his extra time tutoring students in need and is the film club teacher, spreading the word about something he loves to a new generation.

Since Ruiz went on to attain his master’s degree, he’s decided to apply some of the money to put a dent in his student loan bills.

He may also treat himself to dinner or a video game to enjoy on his free time.

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