While teaching may not have been social studies teacher Eric Otto’s original plan, his persistent passion for teaching has landed him here at SCHS.
During his last few years of college, Otto became interested in film and writing screenplays. With dreams of Hollywood in mind, he entered in screenplay contests.
“I placed in one of them,” Otto said. “I got written by an agent, but ultimately they passed on my screenplay.”
Before teaching, Otto worked for a startup technology company using skills from his political science degree at San Jose State University. Although he had tried many different professions, teaching is what he truly enjoyed. While working at jobs where the focus was not on teaching, Otto was still able to find aspects of being an educator.
“I’ve always had this passion for wanting to teach people stuff,” Otto said. “Part of my job working for my tech company was training people, so I really enjoyed that aspect of it.”
Outside of school, Otto spends his time with his family. He enjoys taking them to fairs, watching ‘90s films with them and making them pancakes every weekend. Otto and his wife want to make sure their twin daughters grow up to be good people.
“Making sure that they have the groundwork to be successful and that they grow up to be good people is important to me,” Otto said.
Otto’s wife is who helped Otto decide to teach. When they first met, she had just finished earning her teaching credential.
“I was inspired by her to pursue my passion for teaching,” Otto said. “She’s one of the reasons I went to credentials school and got my teaching credential.”
While taking a two year break in teaching, Otto still managed to educate others in his everyday life. During his time working as a financial advisor, he began to understand what he really loved about teaching.
“You get to be creative. You get to think outside of the box,” Otto said. “Everyday is different and you get to interact with a lot of other people, younger people, and you get to help them navigate through life.”
Coming into his first year at SCHS, Otto hopes to create unique experiences within his classroom.
“I enjoy teaching a lot, sharing knowledge with people, and in general, creating experiences that are memorable and fun,” Otto said. “That’s what I hope to do here at Santa Clara in my classes, create experiences that are memorable and fun.”