'Viral' teacher adapts to the challenges of the new school year

BELLAIRE, Texas (KTRK) -- Dr. Trevor Boffone teaches Spanish at Bellaire High School, but he's also known for his massive presence on social media.

Boffone, along with his students, creates fun dance videos for Instagram, TikTok, and other social media platforms. The videos have been a success, as Boffone has over 320,000 followers on Instagram, but dancing isn't the main purpose of the exercise.

"I've always tried to engage with my students," said Boffone. "And find out what they're interested in."

ORIGINAL STORY: Spanish teacher calls himself the Beyoncé of Bellaire High School

Engaging with students in the upcoming school year will be more difficult, as Bellaire High School starts virtually, along with the rest of HISD, on September 8. Boffone has been on a social media hiatus for much of the summer, which he's spent reading, writing, and preparing to navigate the challenges of education in a global pandemic.

His first goal is establishing trust with his incoming classes.

"I plan on setting up one-on-one, or small-group meetings, with our students." he said. "Where we get to have one-on-one conversations."

Those meetings will take place virtually, but Boffone wants his classes to know they're all in the same situation.

"Rather than only focusing on them telling us about themselves, we can take this as an opportunity to teach our students about us," Boffone said. "I think they want to know that we're struggling, too."

You can follow Dr. Trevor Boffone on Instagram @dr_boffone.

RELATED: Viral Bellaire HS teacher still moving and grooving while social distancing

Dr. Trevor Boffone is still finding ways to keep his kids engaged with both Spanish and dancing.