East Leyden High School science teacher Víctor Gómez knew something was up Wednesday morning thanks to a maintenance worker.
Just before noon, the worker told Gómez he and his students had to evacuate their classroom and relocate to the band room because of a broken water pipe.
“I didn’t see any water. I thought, this is odd,” Gómez said.
Moments later, he was proven correct as he led his students into the band room.
Gomez broke into a huge smile when he walked through an archway made of yellow, blue and white balloons just inside the doorway.
Festive music filled the air, courtesy of Mariachi Estrellas De Chicago. And as Gómez walked in, school officials, teachers, parents, students and his family began applauding and cheering for the 2025 Illinois Teacher of the Year, as declared by the Illinois State Board of Education.
The prestigious honor floored Gómez, 31, a Wheaton resident in his sixth year of teaching at the Franklin Park high school.
“How do I express myself other than gratitude for everyone who has been part of this journey? To my family, my wife, my students — thank you,” he said.
It’s all about the students, not himself, he said.
“Doing what’s right for the kids, making sure they have every opportunity to succeed has been the one mission as an educator. After six years of being a bilingual educator, I believe I’ve touched a lot of students’ lives in positive ways,” he said.
Gómez was selected from 13 finalists.
After teachers are nominated, they are invited to apply for the honor. That’s followed by essays about their teaching philosophy, along with letters of recommendation.
A committee evaluates applicants who are interviewed and the final selection is made by Tony Sanders, Illinois superintendent of education.
“Each year,” Sanders said, “we select a teacher to represent our best and brightest and we think Mr. Gómez is an incredible choice for that.”
Gómez co-developed East Leyden’s bilingual program, and helped launch the school’s first bilingual chemistry course. He also is a mentor to future bilingual educators in a collaboration with Elmhurst University, and has facilitated opportunities for bilingual students at East Leyden. And he started a mariachi band at the school.
Sanders called Gómez “a dedicated advocate for bilingual education.”
At East Leyden, about 80% of the approximately 1,800 students are Hispanic, officials said. Gómez teaches bilingual chemistry and biology.
What sets Gómez apart, peers, students, officials and family said, is his ability to easily connect with others.
Student Jesus Osuna offered a prime example at the rally on Wednesday.
“I came here three years ago and on my very first day, I walked into your classroom. I heard music playing in Spanish. At that moment, I felt a huge sense of relief,” Osuna recalled.
The graduating senior thanked Gómez “for believing in your students and making us feel at home.”
“You are a teacher I will never forget,” Osuna said before giving Gómez a hug.
That empathy and providing a comfort zone has become even more important at a time marked by federal scrutiny and targeted deportations in the Hispanic community. Osuna confirmed students are concerned, and “there’s a lot of uncertainty when it comes to what is going on.”
“A lot of us bilingual teachers really (are) making the effort to make sure our students are feeling that they belong here. That their language belongs. That they, too, deserve to be here,” Gómez said.
He said it’s no extra challenge teaching students for whom English is a second language “because it ends up being a family in the classroom.”
Family is a theme often heard in Leyden High School District 212, school board president Greg Ignoffa said. It came up again in a conversation he had at Wednesday’s event with Gómez’s father.
“That’s where he gets it. That’s the culture he grew up in. It’s engaging. It’s family. We use the word ‘family’ at Leyden here and it’s not just a word. It is a family,” Ignoffa said.
Andres Gómez, 29, and Vivian Gómez, 26, are proud of their big brother.
“Words cannot express the feelings I have right now. It’s a great achievement,” Andres said.
Growing up, Gómez “loved biology and chemistry. That led to him being a teacher here,” Andres, an accountant, said.
Vivian, a teacher’s assistant at Addison Trail High, called her brother “my biggest role model growing up.”
“He tutored me a lot, but not only in science,” she said. “I’m very proud because we’ve seen him grow not only as a person but as an educator.”
As Teacher of the Year, Gómez will receive his annual salary during a year-long sabbatical in which he will visit school districts statewide to assist their bilingual programs.
“You can give as many speeches as you want but if you’re not working with people, nothing will get done,” he said.
East Leyden Principal Julie Lam said Gomez’s positive impact on students is evident daily.
“His impact radiates throughout our district through his students and through every colleague who has had the privilege of working beside him,” said Lam, in her first year as principal.
“In his science classroom, learning is not about memorizing facts or preparing for tests. It’s about engaging them with curiosity, critical thinking and courage. Gómez makes science acceptable and exciting,” Lam said.
The school’s previous principal, Dominic Manola, now the district’s assistant superintendent for curriculum, said Gómez gets to know “who the kids are.”
“I remember a water purity lesson a few years ago when he brought in the hometowns of his students. Because he knows them so deeply, he brings relevant things in constantly,” Manola said.
That engagement endured even through the challenges of the worldwide pandemic and remote learning sessions.
“Most kids were not turning their cameras on. You go into his class, they had their cameras on,” he said.
Gómez’s father, Victor Gómez Sr., who came to the United States from Mexico when he was nine years old, learned to speak English and became an engineer for an aerospace company.
Gómez said his father’s challenges adjusting to life here inspired him to work with bilingual students.
His wife Ingrid, who met Gómezwhen both were students at Addison Trail High School, joked that her husband may try to use his award to get out of doing laundry at home.
Laughing, GGómez assured her that won’t be happening despite winning the state’s top teaching honor.
“Now,” Lam said, “the rest of the state knows what we’ve known all along, that Víctor Gómez represents the very best of what it means to be a teacher.”
Gómez said he “does not feel like the top (teacher) in the state,” adding “there’s a lot of humility.”
He plans to keep teaching as long as possible and perhaps become a bilingual program director someday.
