Teacher profile: Mr. Aguilar

Photo by Nyda Hosack

Since he started teaching here at ERHS 26 years ago, Mr. Aguilar has been the energetic, inspirational Algebra 1 and Financial Algebra teacher who currently resides in room B34; a bungalow right next to the North Gym. In addition to teaching math, he is also the school’s soccer coach. He’s been playing the sport since he was around 5 or 6 years old, and considered himself decent at playing it. Mr. Aguilar played soccer at the high school level and even at a semi-professional level in LA right before the creation of the MLS (Major Soccer League).

In 10th grade, Mr. Aguilar had an English teacher who told him that he had the potential to go to college. Before this pivotal moment, he didn’t really consider it. Therefore, he went to college at CalState LA, while also working. He juggled his school and work duties, doing both full-time. After he graduated, he wondered what he would do with his degree. This is when he made the decision to start teaching, and landed his job here at ERHS, where he’s been teaching ever since. He says he was “lucky to land in the eagle’s nest.”

While he calls Eagle Rock his “second home”, his roots originate in Guatemala. Born and raised by a single mother, Mr. Aguilar moved to LA in the mid-80s with his mom and two siblings; a brother and a sister, to seek the American Dream and get a good education. He is the oldest of his mom’s kids, and he remembers how much he appreciated the weather back in Guatemala. The Central-American country is also where he started playing soccer and found his love for it. “To be good at the sport, work on your individual technical skills,” Mr. Aguilar would tell kids that want to play soccer for the first time.

After moving to LA, Mr. Aguilar remembers having movie nights with his family. He vividly recalls that every Friday, they would rent a VHS and watch a movie while eating Yoshinoya. However, they had to return the VHS tape on Saturday. He still loves to eat Yoshinoya nowadays, as his memories from family movie nights make the restaurant one of his go-to spots. While he doesn’t really have a sweet tooth, he loves to go to any restaurant that offers meat. His all-time favorite drink would be coffee: he drinks it every morning and can’t get enough of it. 

Outside of math and soccer, some of his other hobbies include snowboarding, which he was introduced to in his late 30s. He’s even snowboarded on a black diamond trail, a very advanced-level trail that is designed for elite snowboarders. In addition, he loves riding his motorcycle, and even commutes to school on it sometimes. Mr. Aguilar likes listening to classical music: his love for the genre sparked when he started playing the violin in junior high. He played the instrument for 6 years but stopped after his first year of college, as he didn’t have any more time.

Mr. Aguilar has a wife and 3 daughters. He also has a black labrador and 2 cats. Every day before his daughters go to school, he’d always tell them; “Learn something new, try hard, and never give up.” When teaching, he loves to see his students go “A-ha!” when they get a concept. When coaching soccer, he loves when his team plays against a very good team. “It’s about the challenge and having fun, more than whether you win or lose.”

If you ever pass by room B34, make sure to say hi to Mr. Aguilar. And when you see those soccer games played by our high-level Eagles? You’ll know who’s in charge.