Talk to Christian Obando for any length of time and you’ll quickly realize that he loves his profession. His boundless enthusiasm is matched only by his megawatt smile when he talks about teaching.
The 2020 Denair High graduate was a member of the school’s 2018 state championship football team and comes from a blended family of 14 children. Being a big brother to eight of those brothers and sisters, as well as being a captain on the 2018 football squad, Obando has always been a leader. He believes it’s a trait that formed his desire to be a teacher.
“Being a captain, I think, helped me grow a lot as a leader because many of the kids looked up to me,” said Obando, who played center and linebacker for the Coyotes. “That wasn’t totally new to me because I have a lot of younger siblings, but it was different having somebody that wasn’t a family member looking up to me. It made me want to be better and push harder.”
Here are some other things to know about Christian Obando:
Family members: I come from a big, blended family and have a lot of siblings. From my mom’s side I have 11 siblings and on my dad’s side I have two siblings. From my mother’s side, youngest to oldest: Santiago (3 years old), Isabel (sixth grade), Guillermo and Gabriel (ninth grade), Ezequiel (11th grade), Ernesto (2026 Denair High graduate), Elvis (2020 DHS graduate), Hector (2017 DHS graduate), Jessica (2016 Turlock High graduate), Vanessa and Valeria (2013 THS graduates). From my father’s side of the family: Jamilet (seventh grade at Turlock’s Dutcher Middle School) and Jovanni (2026 Pitman High graduate).
Educational background: I started my educational journey at Osborn Two-Way Immersion Academy (Turlock), learning both English and Spanish simultaneously. After sixth grade I went to Dutcher Middle School for two years and ended my secondary education at Denair High School (Class of 2020). Right after high school, I attended Fresno State for two years before I transferred to Stanislaus State, where I earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture with a concentration in agriculture education. After receiving my degree in 2024, I continued my education at Stanislaus State and received my single-subject credential in agriculture last spring. I’m currently finishing my specialization credential in agriculture.
Previous teaching jobs: For the past four years, I have been Denair High School’s agriculture paraeducator. On top of that, I was a teacher resident last year for Denair High School’s agriculture department and taught two ag courses at Denair Middle School. During my years as the paraeducator, I would also help support our Special Education program with transportation and working Extended School Year, which is specialized Special Education and related services provided during the summer months. Before I came back to Denair as a paraeducator I was working for Esperanza Therapy Services as a behavior technician, helping children and adolescents with autism and developmental disabilities. This was my first step in the educational realm.
Subject/grades taught at Denair: Last year, I helped co-teach the agriculture courses at DHS, of which we have a variety. I helped with agriculture biology, animal science, soil chemistry, introduction to ag mechanics, and helped support the agriculture leadership class. At DMS, I taught ag pathways and introduction to ag. This year I will be teaching (solo) agriculture biology, veterinary science, ag pathways, and physical education sports.
What attracted you to Denair? Since I graduated from DHS, Denair has always felt like home to me. I was fortunate to have teachers and mentors here who encouraged me to pursue agriculture and education. Coming back to Denair allows me to give back to the same community that helped shape who I am today. There is something really special about being able to teach students in the same community and school district that I grew up in.
What most inspires you about teaching? Seeing students discover something they are passionate about. Agriculture gives me the opportunity to teach students through hands-on experiences and show them that what they learn in the classroom connects to the real world. I especially love seeing a student go from saying, “I can’t do this,” to realizing, “Wait, I actually can.” Those moments make teaching incredibly rewarding.
What is a challenge you look forward to tackling this year? One challenge I’m looking forward to tackling is continuing to upgrade and modernize our school farm. We have an amazing facility with a lot of land and a long history. The Earl Reed School Farm was established in 1968 by the legendary Denair agriculture teacher, Earl A. Reed. Our structures are still sound, but after 58 years there are definitely areas that could use some modernization and upgrades. I’m excited to help build on what we already have and continue making our school farm an even better place for students to learn through hands-on agricultural experiences.
What is a favorite teaching tool or activity? Anything hands-on. I love giving students opportunities to learn by actually doing something rather than just hearing about it. Whether we’re working with livestock, conducting a lab, building something, or getting outside, I think students remember experiences much longer than they remember a worksheet. Agriculture gives us so many opportunities to turn the classroom into a real-world learning environment.
What do you want your students to remember? I want my students to remember that they are capable of more than they think they are. I hope they remember my classroom as a place where they were encouraged to try, make mistakes, learn, and keep going. Most importantly, I want them to know that they were seen, valued, and believed in.
What can parents do to support you? Parents can support their students by getting involved and encouraging their students to get involved in all aspects of our agriculture program. That could mean joining our ag boosters, attending FFA activities and events with their students, or simply encouraging them to take advantage of the opportunities available to them. The best part of agricultural education is the three-circle model: classroom instruction, FFA, and SAE. When students are involved in all three areas, they get a much more complete experience, and parents can play a huge role in motivating and supporting them along the way.
What’s something that would surprise people about your job? I think people would be surprised by just how many different things an agriculture teacher does. One day I might be teaching biology or veterinary science, the next I could be working with livestock, fixing something on the school farm, planning an FFA event, or helping a student with their project. Agriculture education really is a little bit of everything, and that’s one of the things I love about it.
What do you do for fun? Outside of school, I enjoy spending time with my family and fiancé, working with livestock, and being involved in agriculture. I also enjoy staying active outdoors: hiking, walking, and running. And on the nerdier side, I’m a big superhero and Pokémon fan and love collecting Pokémon cards and other collectibles.
An interesting fact about me is … One interesting, little-known fact about me is that I was extremely active during my time at Denair High School. I played three sports all four years and had the opportunity to be a captain on the 2018 state champion football team. I was also heavily involved in FFA, where I showed sheep all four years, and I was active in ASB. I started as a rally commissioner my sophomore year and eventually became ASB president my senior year. It’s pretty special to now be back at Denair as a teacher and have the opportunity to give back to the same school and community that gave me so many great experiences growing up. #BecauseDenair
