Melinda Gaul
From a young age, Algebra 1 teacher Melinda Gaul has always wanted to be a teacher. She can recount early memories of her role-playing as a teacher and expressing her intent to her parents.However, in her later years of high school Gaul’s parents discouraged her from becoming a teacher, so she chose to pursue a degree in Mathematics, a field of study of mathematical concepts independent of any application outside mathematics. Yet, Gaul realized that she wasn’t interested in the application of math and switched majors
“I was in classes like History of Math, and we started talking about proving one plus two equals three,” Gaul said. “And I was like, ‘No, this is not for me.’ I wanted a more applied major. So I decided to get a major in Applied Mathematics because I felt like I could use that in companies.”
Gaul’s first job after college was at Intel, where she worked as a buyer planner to purchase parts for computer wafers, a small device that acts as a foundational semiconductor for a computer circuit. A year later, she moved to Lockheed Martin. There, Gaul worked as a system admin for four years, where she managed computer processes and specialized in satellite maintenance.
Still the desire to be a teacher lingered, and Gaul took time off work and went back to school to get her teaching credentials. When she was interested in starting a family, she took a break after teaching at Cupertino High School for five years, and worked part time as a report analyst at DataCycles for six years, which she didn’t find as fulfilling as teaching.
Missing the energy and vibrancy of teaching, Gaul gravitated back to being in the classroom. Even though Gaul describes transitioning between different jobs as hard, she still believes that teaching has proved to be a rewarding experience.
“There’s just so much that comes along with the job of being a teacher,” Gaul said. “[If I wasn’t a teacher], I’d probably be just working a job that I wouldn’t care as much about, and just be working a job to get the paycheck. It feels like I’m making a difference in a positive way.”
Michael Lordan
Advanced Placement Physics C teacher Michael Lordan has always liked the idea of being a teacher: he recalls being passionate about both engineering and teaching in high school. After attending a career fair at UC Davis, Lordan decided to go into engineering and worked at the aerospace company Space Systems Loral, an experience he thoroughly enjoyed.
“After I graduated from college, I was interested in doing something that involved computer-aided design, and I got the opportunity to do that at this job,” Lordan said. “I felt like I was constantly learning while I was there, which I think has challenges to it, but it also continually kept the job fresh and kept it exciting.”
However, Lordan’s job had some downsides. At Space Systems Loral, he was constantly sitting in front of a computer to the point where his eyes would get exhausted. He also soon found the repetitive work trips to Ottawa, Canada taxing, as his job required him to carry out off-site testing for their computer models. Still, the idea of becoming a teacher persisted, prompting him to begin earning his teaching credentials while still at his old job.
“There are a lot of hurdles to becoming a teacher,” Lordan said. “There’s a lot of competency tests that you have to pass in order to get a teaching credential, and you have to observe other teachers for 40 hours. I tackled those things while I was at my old job.”
Despite these challenges, Lordan believes his switch to teaching was right for him. He recalls feeling motivated and energized to begin a teaching career after seeing a coworker make the switch, knowing that if he didn’t commit then, it would end up being too late.
“Being at school with the students is really invigorating,” Lordan said. “That’s what makes it all worth it. I’m here getting one-on-one with students and building relationships with them. And just seeing their growth is really meaningful and powerful.”
Norma Abarca
Before teaching Spanish 2 and Spanish 3, teacher Norma Abarca worked at Foster Farms, one of the largest poultry companies in the world, for two years. Abarca worked as the primary point person between consumers and the marketing department.
“My job was to collect information from the consumer on the quality of the product,” Abarca said. “If there were any concerns, they were reported to me, and I would compile the report and present it to the production director.”
As a child, Abarca aspired to go into politics and become a lawyer or senator because it always fascinated her. In college, she majored in political science, as well as studied Spanish, but ultimately felt discouraged by the lack of female representation in the political science field. She then switched majors to International Relations but continued to study Spanish. After losing interest in politics, she decided to work at Foster Farms because she liked interacting with consumers. She also helped produce commercials in which the Foster Imposter chicken mascots starred.
However, even though she liked her job, Abarca studied to get her teaching credential while still working in the marketing department at Foster Farms. She had always wanted to be a teacher, and was further motivated by a college professor inspiring her to pursue education by her dynamic and interactive style of teaching.
After being recommended to a school, their secretary convinced Abarca to quit her job at Foster Farms and apply for a teaching position. Falling back on her Spanish background, Abarca decided that teaching Spanish was what she wanted to do. At the time, Abarca had not even attained her credential; she was busy juggling a full time job and attending school. But even without it, she got hired as a teacher.
“Life leads you into different paths and interests, and then through these experiences, you learn where you have talents,” Abarca said. “Sometimes there are nice surprises that we never would’ve anticipated.”
Jessica Kaufman
Jessica Kaufman worked in many different positions at Starbucks before teaching English at MVHS. Kaufman started working at Starbucks as a sophomore in high school, and continued until she started college. In her four years at Starbucks, she cycled through various positions such as a barista, shift supervisor and assistant manager in training.
“I liked it a lot and met a lot of friends there,” Kaufman said. “Starbucks was a really good company to work for. They paid well, and treated their employees well. I liked that it was easy but also fun.”
But Kaufman knew she did not want to stay at Starbucks permanently, and began working towards her teaching goals, knowing she wanted to pursue a teaching career. Since her mom was a high school teacher as well, she had an inspiring figure to look up to. After switching majors frequently to experiment with psychology, sociology and history in college, she ultimately returned to her passion for English and love for teaching.
“I can’t recall a time where it was like, ‘Oh, I’m going to be a teacher,’ because it was a thought that was always there,” Kaufman said. “It wasn’t a conscious decision I think I had made. It was just something I always knew I wanted to do, and so I do it, and I still like it.”
Despite this, Kaufman’s view of teaching has changed with experience. For example, she believes her job has gotten harder over time, especially with the initial excitement of becoming a teacher wearing off and it being time consuming and often a source of stress. Despite the overwhelming nature of being a teacher, Kaufman says she has learned to find a healthy work-life balance and enjoys the unpredictable nature of her work.
“The thing I love the most about teaching is that every day is different,” Kaufman said. “You never know what to expect. You never know what’s gonna happen. It’s fun every time.”
