by Faye McWilliams (Posted on October 19, 2026 @ 3:27 p.m.)

Alamo Heights Junior School math teacher Ms. Ojeda chose her career because of a positive seventh-grade teacher who inspired her love for the subject. Now she works to have the same impact on her own students.

Ojeda’s interest in math began in seventh grade with a teacher who encouraged her to see the subject differently.

“I think that math was always my strong suit and my teacher really encouraged me that there’s multiple ways to solve problems and if you don’t always get it right, that’s OK because you have multiple opportunities,” Ojeda said.

After that positive experience, she realized she wanted to pursue a career as a math teacher.

“And so I knew math is one of my favorite subjects so why not teach math?” Ojeda said.

However, she still needed to decide what grade level to teach.

“I think since I started in middle school, having the love for math, I really decided that I wanted to teach middle school, and I didn’t want to teach elementary school. I didn’t want to have to teach multiple subjects, so I said, Okay, let’s focus on math and that’s gonna be your best bet,” Ojeda said.

Today, Ojeda uses the same teaching approach that inspired her, encouraging her own students to see mistakes as opportunities to learn.

Ojeda believes math is important because people use it in their everyday lives. Even when students think they will never use something they learn in class, she wants them to understand that math can help them in many situations.

“I feel like with math, we use it in our everyday lives,” Ojeda said. “So I think that it’s just a valid tool for the kids to use.”

Sometimes students ask why they have to learn certain math skills. Ojeda understands that they might not always see how math connects to their lives, but she encourages them to keep learning and trying their best.

She said students often ask, “When are we gonna use this?” Ojeda wants them to understand that math is something they will use throughout their lives, even when they do not realize it.

Ojeda also explained that she did not have to be the best student in math to enjoy the subject. She was not in honors math when she was in school, but she still liked learning about it.

“I was never in, like, honors math. I was always just in, like, the regular math, like on level,” Ojeda said. “I could still like math and not be worried about not being the best at it.”

Even though Ojeda has thought about teaching science because it connects to math, she has only taught math during her teaching career. She has taught sixth, seventh and eighth grade math, along with algebra.

One of the biggest reasons Ojeda wanted to become a teacher was the positive influence of her own teachers and coaches. They helped her see how much teachers can affect their students and inspired her to do the same for others.

“I know I got my passion for teaching from, like, good teachers and good coaches that really influenced me to want to do what they did,” Ojeda said.

Ojeda hopes to be a positive role model for her students, just like her teachers were for her. She wants students to enjoy learning, feel encouraged and know that making mistakes is okay.

Her story shows how one teacher can make a difference in someone’s life. Mr. Schaefer helped Ojeda develop a love for math, and now she hopes to pass that same inspiration on to her own students.