Phone: 619-588-3092
Email:
Degrees and Certifications:
Bachelors of Science in Mathematics. Masters in Curriculum and Leadership, BCLAD certification in Spanish. Project Lead The Way (PLTW) certified in Automation and Robotics, Design and Modeling, Green Architecture, and Computer Science.
Mr. Vidal Pineda
I was born in a small farm town named El Granadillo, Jalisco, Mexico. Born second in a family of 7 kids and being the oldest boy gave me characteristics of oldest and middle born; leader with the skills to moderate problems. I came to the US when I was 7 years old and moved to Bakesfield California. There I attended Foothill High School (then the Trojans now Spartans) and graduated 4th in my class (top boy).
My education interests took me to Santa Barabara for two years in the school of Engineering. I changed my focus to Mathematics so I decided to attend California State University Bakersfield (the RoadRunners). During my senior year I worked for the University's MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement) program where I visited a handfull of Middle Schools organizing an after school club. My contact with Middle School students ignited my love for teaching.
I continued at CSUB and acquired a Mathematics Single Subject Teaching Credential. Faced with the opportunity to teach, I quit my position helping the MESA program and did my student teaching at East High School. Two weeks before I finished my student teaching the local school district offered me a position at Washington Junior High. I taught there for two years while maintaining a distance relationship with my now wife who I met at UC Santa Barbara and was still there learning about Marine Biology.
She changed career focus and moved to San Diego in the Summer of 1993 where I said good bye to Washington Middle School and moved south.
I married, bought a house, and was hired to teach at ÒõAPPµ¼º½ Valley Middle (not necessarily in that order).
That Summer I interviewed at ÒõAPPµ¼º½ Valley Middle School, fell in love with the school, and was hired after the second interview. Somehow I knew on that day that I was going to retire from this School and so far 26 years later, it seems it will happen. It has so far been an honor and a privilege to teach at this school where no one day is the same.
Four years ago I changed my focus from Mathematics to Technology/Engineering. It has been a learning experience but I have never been more happy with the work that I do. My students are eager to begin my classes and sometimes the clock surprises us because we lose ourselves in the challenges in front of us. It is amazing.
In 2020, we added Computer Science to the 6th grade wheel.