EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) -- Sometimes, you just know what you want to do with your life from a very young age. Angelina Bencomo, a veteran teacher at Jefferson High School, knew she wanted to be a teacher from the time she was a young girl growing up in El Paso. And she has been inspiring students in the El Paso area for more than three decades now to become teachers themselves. Angelina Bencomo, teacher at Jefferson High School. Photo by Dave Burge/KTSM "I just love teaching," said Bencomo, who has a doctorate in family and consumer sciences. "I wanted to be a teacher ever since I was a little girl. I'd gather all my dolls and stuffed animals and pretend I was their teacher. My younger sister was my student. She didn't like that very much. Teaching is my passion." Graphic by Luisa Barrios/KTSM Teacher Appreciation Week runs from Monday, May 6 to Friday, May 10. KTSM.com will be profiling inspiring teachers from different school districts from around the El Paso region all week. Bencomo has taught at Jefferson High for 12 years and was previously at Canutillo ISD for 18 years and at San Elizario for a year. She currently teaches in the Family and Consumer Sciences program at Jefferson High, what used to be called Home Economics. Bencomo leads a two-year, hands-on course where high-school students learn to interact and care for young children, from ages of 3 to 5, who are at Jefferson High's Child Development Lab. This program gives students hands-on experience if they want to become teachers, daycare workers or work in medical fields with young children, Bencomo said. "I tell my students, that some of you may not want to become teachers, but you will always be interacting with a child, whether it is going to a grocery store and seeing a child in the same line as you are, taking a walk in the park and seeing children play in a playground," she said. "I tell them whether you are a parent or not, you will probably be a tio or tia, a neighbor, a good friend, co-worker." Bencomo said she is particularly gratified when she hears former students tell her that she inspired them to have a successful career or family life. "I know that I can't reach all of them, but maybe later in life they will reflect back and say, 'She wasn't that bad of a teacher because she did this or that and wanted the best for us,'" she said. Jefferson/Silva High School Principal Edgar Rincon said that Bencomo is one of the leaders on campus and stands out among the 100-plus teachers on the campus which also includes the Silva Health Magnet High School. "The way she interacts with the children at the Child Development Lab and with the high-school students, she has definitely made an impact," Rincon said. "It is amazing to see how she manages both age groups into a successful classroom. "I hear people talk about her classroom and how she inspires high schoolers to be future teachers," he said. Even though Bencomo has taught for more than 30 years, she isn't ready to retire or slow down. "I just love coming to work every day," she said. "I love having a reason to get up in the morning. Like I said, I am truly passionate about my job." Bencomo said she is passionate about teaching, reaching and inspiring young people, but she is also passionate about children, teenagers, education, books and family. "I feel that family and consumer sciences kind of envelops all of those into one profession, which is the one I have chosen," she said. Over the years, teaching has definitely evolved, she said, but students, on some very basic level, have remained the same. "Family is really our first teacher," she said. Bencomo said she is a stickler for rules and she wants to reach students and get them to think and be responsible. "I think one of the things that is very important in life is communication, whether it is written, oral, just listening or speaking skills," Bencomo said. "I want them to really build upon those." Bencomo has a bachelor's of science in home economics from New Mexico State University, a masters in counseling from Boston University's overseas program and a Ph.D in family and consumer sciences and a minor in language and literacy from Texas Tech University. She is a graduate of Coronado High School, class of 1977. Visit KTSM.com for more teacher profiles this week and also check out our social media platforms on Facebook, X and Instagram.