Southeast : HONORED TEACHER

Javier Gonzalez says his first major achievement was learning English at the age of 9 in East Los Angeles. He topped that when he proudly became the first of his Mexican immigrant family to earn a college degree.

But the honors kept coming for Gonzalez, now a math teacher at Pioneer High School in Whittier: He was recently named among five California Teachers of the Year for 1996 by the state Department of Education, and he alone has been nominated among them to receive the national award.

Why Gonzalez? Perhaps, he said, it’s the summer math academy he developed five years ago, which drew nearly 500 students last summer from the fourth through 12th grades. But more likely, he says, state officials appreciated his classroom focus on creativity and personal growth.

“The way I teach is, ‘let me give you a project,’ ” says Gonzalez, who has taught at Pioneer High for the last six years. “Let me have you create something.”

In one project, students design their own dream home, including floor plans, a model and sample furnishings. Before they finish, students must write an essay about how they intend the earn the money to build the house.

Pioneer Principal Patrick Mascorro said students enjoy Gonzalez’s classes because he nurtures group cooperation. He said they even pack his classroom during lunch to work together on math puzzles and games.