City Councilman Doug Emerson will be going back to high school
next week – not to learn, but to teach.
Hollister – City Councilman Doug Emerson will be going back to high school next week – not to learn, but to teach.
After reading in the newspaper that San Benito High School was looking for qualified math teachers, Emerson contacted district officials and worked out a schedule that will allow him to teach in the morning and do city council work the rest of the day.
Emerson, a retired district administrator and teacher, will teach three geometry classes this year. After a decade, he is excited to return to the classroom and to be “dealing with the kids.”
“Going into the classroom is new for me, I retired from administration, so teaching will be refreshing for me,” he said.
Superintendent Jean Burns Slater is glad to have the extra help.
“We need qualified math teachers, so we’re really glad to have him here,” Slater said.
Emerson knows things have changed in the classroom, but he says he’s prepared. Even though nobody talked about state standards or the Internet the last time he wrote on the chalkboard, Emerson has kept up with the times.
While the classroom may have changed, high school students are the same as always, he believes.
“People say students are getting worse, but I don’t think that’s true,” Emerson said.
Another thing that doesn’t change is geometry – squares will always have four sides equal in length and the diameter of a circle will be twice the length of its radius.
When Emerson retired from his position as chief financial officer at Eastside Union High School District in 2004, he thought his career in education – which has spanned nearly four decades – was over.
“I wasn’t out looking for a job,” he said. “But I missed that connection with students and there was a need for teachers.”
Just as he has brought his experience as a teacher and an administrator to the city council, Emerson will bring his experience on the city council to the classroom.
“I think what I will bring is experiences that are much more varied than many students are used to,” he said.
Even though work just started yesterday for SBHS teachers, Emerson already feels welcome.
“The teaching staff has been very supportive,” he said. “The math teachers have been very eager to share and to help.”
Brett Rowland covers education for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or
br******@fr***********.com
