Mr. Jhon Diaz, a Coral Gables Senior High Alumni of 2019, is an accounting teacher with a rich background. Having initiated his career with a marketing degree and experience in advertising, his love for numbers and bookkeeping made him explore accounting. Prior to teaching Accounting I, II and III, Mr. Diaz was an English for Speakers of Other Languages tutor who taught students in math, science and history. His transition from tutoring to teaching accounting was what his passion for both education and finance called for. Now, Mr. Diaz uses his diverse skills to make accounting both engaging and accessible for his students.
“[Mr. Diaz] is an amazing teacher because I feel like he’s one of the only people that teaches in two languages: Spanish and English. He is very attentive and makes the class fun. Mr. Diaz can teach you so much in only one class and during the lectures, he sneaks in a couple of jokes, so I feel like that definitely makes me pay more attention. Because he radiates positive energy, I’m never bored in his class,” junior Kevin Rojas said.
Mr. Diaz’s journey began when he took a year of marketing during high school in Colombia and later transferred with that same passion in 2016 at Gables. He then pursued marketing and business, at Miami Dade College and Florida International University. However, while working at a firm, he received valuable mentorship from his accountant co-workers who seasoned his practical skills. Since that time, Diaz has managed a very diversified client portfolio with experiences in California and New York that sharpened his expertise and ability to navigate financial situations. From being an ESOL tutor to an accounting teacher, Mr. Diaz brought his rich background and real-world insights into the classroom, which created an engaging and practical class for his students.
“I started my bachelor’s in marketing and began working in a marketing company for advertisement. Now I have my own freelancing company for marketing as well. Within my freelancing company, I am able to manage clients from all over the US, ranging from the west coast to the east coast. While I was studying marketing, I also started bookkeeping. I have always done bookkeeping on the side because I love numbers and sales,” Mr. Diaz said.
Mr. Diaz’s shift from tutoring ESOL students to accounting involved an opportunity and career aspirations that evolved. Although teaching is not his end goal, Mr. Diaz loves to give back to his community by sharing his knowledge. So, when a new opportunity arose that aligned with his interests and desires, he immediately took that position. This chance came when Mr. Reisert, Gables’ former accounting teacher, announced his retirement and recommended Mr. Diaz for the position. Initially, he thought he would be teaching marketing, but when informed that it was an accounting position, he considered his wide experience and qualifications in this line of training, which led him to room 6203.
“I think Mr. Diaz is a great teacher. I love the way he teaches and I always look forward to coming to his class. I love his teaching methods [because of] how very active he is. My favorite days are B days but during A days, his class is the only one that makes it great. Since he is very funny, I feel like I always have a smile on my face throughout the class,” senior Isis Meraz said.
Mr. Diaz has made a clear difference in his goals and aspirations, both in his personal and professional life. As for his personal life, he hopes to possibly buy his own house at a certain age. Diaz believes in the philosophy of mutual support, where whatever good he does to others will always come back to him later. Professionally, he is committed to making a difference in his students’ mentality. He not only wants to share his knowledge, he strives to create as many opportunities for his students as possible to help them become successful in life. Given that Mr. Diaz went through high school without guidance on how to approach resources and experienced difficult communication because of a language barrier, he offers his students the advice he hoped to have had.
“For my students, I hope that they get the most out of me, either through the experience or the knowledge that I can share with them, so they can be in a great place when they graduate. When I was in high school, I did not have great opportunities because of the language or because I didn’t get acquainted with everyone. So, I want to become the person my younger self would have thanked and admired during my high school years,” Mr. Diaz said.
Mr. Diaz is committed to achieving his personal goals and possibly expanding his business while providing meaningful support to his students. This transition allowed him not only to practice his accounting skills in the classroom but also gave him the chance to inspire students’ educational and career paths and touch their lives in the most meaningful way. Though teaching is rewarding now, it is only a stepping stone toward his much larger aspirations and interlinks his love for sharing knowledge and professional skills in accounting.
