Issue date: 12/7/06 Section: In Focus

Media Credit: Jack Barnwell Alegre invites students to take an interest in his personal pride and joy; books of science and math.

Entering a mathematics classroom with an enthusiastic smile and wearing shorts, Jose Alegre is ready to teach what he loves.

As a professor at Chabot College, Alegre teaches mathematics and physics. He received his A.A. degree in Liberal Studies at Saddleback College in 1984. In 1988, he received his B.A. in Applied Mathematics at California State University of Fullerton. He also holds a master's degree in Applied Mathematics earned in 1987 at CSUF.

When he's not teaching math, Alegre loves riding his bike because he says it is a way of relaxing and exercising. "I used to ride my bike everyday from Newark, where I live, to Chabot College, and I really enjoyed it," he said. He has been in excursions to the mountains with other people who also love bicycling. "They are exciting experiences," he said.

Alegre comes from a poor Mexican family who had to immigrate to the United States to look for a better life. Because Alegre did not want to leave Mexico, his family came to the U.S. without him; he later joined them.

In America he had to work hard as a garbage collector to help his family with money. However, he wanted to be someone in life, so he decided to study English. It was just the beginning of all his studies.

Now, Alegre describes himself as "demanding, highly disciplined, and a hard worker." He does not take excuses very well. He gives lots of tests and homework because according to him, "It is the only way students can practice." He believes that people need to practice a lot to learn math.

"People who want to play a guitar have to practice, right? Well, people who want to learn math have to practice as well," he said.

Moreover, Alegre wants his students to be disciplined, as he wants to raise Chabot's math achievement. "Without discipline, the student cannot focus on the math learning," he said. He also said that discipline is the tool that students need to make themselves and their school successful.

Alegre encourages his students to see math as a fun class. Yaissa Guevara, a student at Chabot College who took Math 55 with Alegre said: "He made me see that math is not as difficult as I thought. Alegre likes to explain math problems or equations with enthusiasm saying that mathematics is marvelous, interesting, and fabulous."

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