Faculty Profile: Genaro "Gino" Castillo

Genaro “Gino” Castillo, Third-Grade Teacher.


Gino grew up in Mountain View, and started working in the classroom early, volunteering alongside his mother, a long-time Instructional Aide. It was during this time he realized that not only did he have the patience and temperament to work in lower elementary, but he also really enjoyed it. He has been teaching for six years, spending the first five in the Oakland Public School District.  
 
It was his experience teaching in Oakland that drew Gino to Burke’s. As a teacher, he is strongly motivated by social justice, advocating for more inclusion, and Burke’s focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and gender equality, is hugely important to him. “Burke’s mission made me feel like I could come to a different school, and still work with populations and causes that motivate me.” 
 
Gino earned his B.A. in Philosophy at UC Berkeley, and the well-rounded approach of that subject is what inspired him to teach multiple subjects. One of his favorite subjects to teach is Social Studies. “Third grade is an age where students start to make more sense of the world around them. I love teaching students about their local history, the Ohlone, local change-makers, and landmarks.” He appreciates students’ natural curiosity, and how it motivates them to ask questions as they continue to learn more about the world. “The social-emotional curriculum at Burke’s, around gender and pronouns, and seeing that kids are growing up learning about these social issues is amazing.” 
 
Third grade is a big transition year when students build more academic independence and gain more peer-to-peer learning opportunities. One of Gino’s favorite activities is “class jobs”, which allows students to take ownership of their environment and workspace. “I don’t think it is super obvious to kids in school that they can take responsibility for a piece of their learning environment. Seeing them do that is impressive. It’s awesome to see students take more initiative and build skills that they can take into their future, and hopefully even their professional lives.” 
 
A long-time Peninsula resident, Gino enjoys jogging through San Francisco in his space time. Some of his favorite places include Crissy Field, Alta Plaza Park, and Fisherman’s Wharf, that is if it’s not crowded. He joined Burke’s DASH for the first time this year, and had a great time! 
 
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