A Northwest Indiana Life in the Spotlight: Luis Chavez Dorantes

It’s a tale as old as time. The alarm rings, you begrudgingly go to a job that you don’t want to be at, come home, have dinner, and do it all again the next day. Rinse and repeat for forty years. Merrillville Teacher Luis Chavez Dorantes is reminding everyone that it’s never too late to live the life you want.

Chavez Dorantes is wrapping up his second year teaching Spanish at Merrillville High School, but teaching was never the plan.

“I’ve had a short career in teaching, but so far, it’s been amazing,” he said. “I really do believe that it’s what you make it out to be. I have fun with it every day. It’s one of the first jobs I’ve had where I don’t wake up every day dreading going in.”

Chavez Dorantes spent over a decade working in hospitality. After leaving hotel management, he worked several other jobs, including an overnight position as a supervisor at FedEx. The final push for a career change came when he and his wife had their first son in 2020.

“The job just got to a point where I realized it wasn’t something I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” he said. “Then I got married, had some kids, and started really thinking about what I wanted to do. I ended up going back to school for teaching.”

At the same time, Chavez Dorantes had become heavily involved in his church’s teen department as a counselor.

“It didn’t seem like work to me,” Chavez Dorantes said. “Volunteering with the teens, doing activities and camps — I just enjoyed working with them. I realized a lot of them had a similar background to myself growing up. I wanted to be there and be able to help those who wanted or needed help.”

He and his wife also realized teaching would be a better fit for their home life and growing family.

“We decided teaching would be a great fit for our family, to be able to have summers and afternoons off,” Chavez Dorantes said. “It was kind of a mixture of everything. I enjoyed working with the age group, and it would work with my home life schedule-wise. It was a little tough going back to school with two little ones, but we managed.”

He attended Purdue University Northwest and eventually completed his student teaching at Merrillville High School, where he now teaches Spanish I and a heritage class.

“I try to tell my students now to make the mistakes,” he said. “Whatever you’re interested in, go for it because it’s never too late to change. I was 32 when I decided to change paths.”

Although this is only his second full year teaching, Chavez Dorantes has spent nearly four years at Merrillville through observations, student teaching, and classroom experience. During his student teaching semester, he was even able to fully take over classes while another teacher was on maternity leave.

“Merrillville has taken me in and made me feel like family, like there’s nothing better,” Chavez Dorantes said. “The administration is really great to work with. My World Language Department team is really strong. There are teachers there who have really supported me and helped me with anything that I needed. It’s been a wonderful experience.”

He loves that no two days are the same.

“I have over 60 to 70 personalities I interact with on a daily basis,” he said. “It’s enjoyable most of the time. Kids are growing, and you get to watch that growth throughout their high school years.”

For Chavez Dorantes, the relationships he builds with students have become the most rewarding part of teaching.

“When they come back and thank me for helping them with something other than just Spanish, that means a lot. I love teaching Spanish, but I’m there more to let them know they have someone on their side,” Chavez Dorantes said. “Once they get to a point in their life where they’re happy or excited about something, it’s rewarding that they want to come tell me about the good things going on in their lives.”

While no two days are the same, one constant is the warm environment Chavez Dorantes fosters for his students.

“One of the things I try to do the most is have a welcoming environment every day,” he said. “Students might get upset with me sometimes, but the next day I’m still going to talk to them with a smile. You might be mad at me, but I’m still going to help you whenever you ask for help. I’m still going to try to make them laugh and show them that just because we had one bad day doesn’t mean our relationship has to be bad.”

Chavez Dorantes hopes that he serves as a role model for his students.

“I would hope that they know opportunity is out there,” Chavez Dorantes said. “You just have to take it or give yourself the chance to attempt to do something. The opportunity to make something of yourself is always there, and it’s never too late.”