I was contacted by Risa Osbon-Escobar (Class of '75) today and she said there were a couple of her favorite teachers missing on the "Teachers & Staff" page. So I added them!  Have you checked to see if any teachers are missing?

We could use your help in three ways:

1) Help get our "Teachers & Staff" page up to date.

2) Help find teachers to register on our site.

3) Help by inviting teachers and staff to join with us.

Do you have any email addresses or contact information? Got any bright ideas?

Please use this forum topic to share some of your BEST EXPERIENCES about how teachers helped you excel or enjoy one of your subjects?

Bruce and all:

Most of the teachers after 1975 either are, or have been members of California Education Assoc.  Perhaps CEA would facilitate contact between them and their former students.  The retired teachers are probably still on CEA's books because of the benefits they receive.  CEA cannot give out contact info, but could advise the teacher of the alumni assoc. contact so that he or she could get in touch if contact is desired.

One teacher who is missing from the list is Stanley Levin.  He taught typing, office practices, bookkeeping and stenography and actually managed to teach me to type pretty well.  This allowed me to be able to use computers with some speed and facility when they appeared.   I understand that Mr. Levin ran into some problems in later years, but he should still be on the list.

Steve Kane (66)

Steven S Kane wrote:

Thanks Steve - I added Stanley Levin to the list!

Looking at the list, I don't see Mr. Joy.  He taught General Business and Business Law at SPHS during our time there. 

Judy Rappley (McElearney)

Wow, there were actually business classes back in the day?

How awesome!

Yes, there were a number of excellent vocational courses available "back in the day."

Classes in typing, shorthand and basic bookkeeping were taken mostly by girls. (We could still say "girls" then without offending anyone.)  I took typing because there was a "young woman" in that class that I wanted to notice me.  Sadly, it never happened!  However, when computers came in years later my typing skills were put to good use.  For boys there were metal and wood shop and mechanical drawing.  I took the drafting class for two years and learned a skill which helped me financially through college.  I think that there was also an auto mechanics class, but I never took it.   I never saw a girl in these "shop" classes and I do not know if it would have been permitted.  For the most part, the people who taught these classes were skilled and competent.  I have no idea if SPHS offers any of these classes now.

Also, there were classes in home economics (cooking, sewing etc.) to help girls to become "good housewives."  Hard to believe today!  It was assumed that fewer girls than boys would go to college, but, starting in the 60s that trend was reversed.  There were 3 women in my law school class in 1971-74 out of about 180 students, but now most law schools have more women students than men.  There are now many outstanding woman lawyers and judges, including my wife, Bonnie, who is also my law partner.

In that era (60s) it was not assumed that everyone would or should go to college.  Skilled tradesmen could make a good living.  Career opportunities for women were pretty much limited to nursing, teaching and clerical and secretarial occupations.  There were, however, mavericks and brave women like my mother who was an electronic design engineer!  She worked on the landing radar for the first manned lunar landing in 1969.

Both the economy and social norms have changed a great deal since that era.