That personable manner is what makes him one of the most cherished teachers at CCS.  

“I like him because he’s funny and tries to relate with students,” senior Katy Febles said. “He helped me learn math and life lessons.” 

Longoria makes it his goal every day to understand students and build connections in ways that can help them grow in their education and develop their full potential in math. 

“I think his teaching methods are very useful and easy to remember,” junior Miranda Salinas said. 

Longoria has always found it interesting why some people are better with numbers than others. So why is it that so many students seem to struggle with understanding math? 

“Boy, that is really the big question, isn't it?” Longoria said. 

 “Some of it is just the way our brains work, why some excel in math or languages or in creating music or art,” he said. “We are a beautiful array of gifts and talents, all just as important as the next.”  

While making connections with students to help them feel more comfortable in learning math, he found a passion for himself.  

“I realized that I was really good at connecting with the students and helping them understand summer school math, which was fast-paced and intimidating,” Longoria said.  

Over his 31 years as a teacher, he has grown into teaching more advanced classes. No matter the grade, he has enjoyed educating every level of student.  

“All grades are actually fun to teach, and they can all provide challenges, but I've always enjoyed the upper-level honors and pre-AP courses the most," he said. “I started teaching pre-algebra and it took me over 10 years to move to pre-cal and statistics.” 

Math and his curiosity for the subject have always held a special place in Longoria’s life. He finds a “happy place” in connecting math to the world around him. 

“We all have our own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to things we can do, and math always came easy to me,” he said. “The ideas of number concepts and grasping how to apply them was fun to me from an early age.” 

Growing up, Longoria had a simple and happy childhood, from walking to school every day to getting his first car, a hand-me-down from his parents.  

“I got my first car in my senior year,” Longoria recalled. “It was a 1973 Ford LTD. It was a big ol’ boxy car, but I thought it was the coolest thing ever.”  

Outside of the classroom, Longoria is a family man, being married to his wife for 29 years. They have two children who both attend UTSA.   

“My daughter is an art major and she's really good at what she does,” Longoria said. “My son is majoring in modern languages. He wants to be a college English professor.” 

On the weekends, you might run into Longoria at a local theater – from the Majestic Theatre to the San Pedro Playhouse to the Wonder Theatre. 

 “I'm a big fan of Broadway music,” he said. “There's more I want to try. I’m going to see ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ at the UTSA theater.” 

Before moving to CCS, Longoria saw generations of families move through his classroom at Moody High School in Corpus Christi, the same school he attended as a teen. Memories from 28 years filled his classroom walls.  

“I had frame after frame on the walls of my classroom . . . 5,000-6,000 photos,” Longoria said. 

He’s building the same memories at CCS – filled with laughs, stories, life lessons and, of course, math. 

Photo by Vivien Pina/Staff