Sarah Leonard, Lower School Primary Division Head

I feel very blessed over the course of my tenure with the school to be able to work with the teachers that I’ve worked with and the staff that I’ve worked with. Also, I’ve met some lovely, lovely parents during the course of time. All the people associated with the school are probably what will give me my fondest memories of being here.

When I graduated from school, the first thing I wanted to do was secure a teaching job. I lived in the San Jose area at the time, and Harker had a good reputation. So that was one of the schools that I reached out to, and I can even remember the little postcard I got from [Harker]. It was basically, “we’re not interested, but once you have some experience under your belt, then contact us again.” So I eventually got a teaching job at another local independent school, and then I moved downstate for a short period of time. But when I returned from Pennsylvania and once again reached out to Harker, I did then have some experience under my belt. The day I was called in for an interview was the day I was hired, it was right on the spot, and that’s something that doesn’t happen these days. I was initially inspired and continue to be inspired by the fact that the school has such an amazing reputation.

I have had a long, rich history with the school. 41 years is a lot of a lot of time. And absolutely there have been some bumps along the way. Over the course of my Harker history it’s just really been an honor for me to be a part of the organization. I feel very strongly about the mission of the school and what we hope to achieve with the students who are members of our community. It’s just been an honor for me to be a part of an institution that I feel so strongly about.

Gabriele Stahl, Math teacher

I’ve been teaching at Harker for 19 years. My favorite part about this job is definitely my students and my colleagues. The students are just very grateful, kind, polite. Most of them try to do their best. There are no discipline issues here. It’s a dream. And for colleagues, everybody knows that the math department is the best department in the school. We have such a nice bunch of people, and many of us are friends with each other. 

Many classes were my favorite memories, because I have a good relationship with the students after a year, and then when they leave, I find that very emotional. Quite a few are still staying in touch with me. Another good memory is definitely when I danced tango at the talent show. I was so nervous, but the people that also performed were extremely supportive. 

As I got older, my focus has shifted. So in the beginning, it was really about math. But then I realized, “No, that’s not my purpose. My purpose as a teacher is to teach life lessons.” The accomplishment is one point, but what has happened to get there, I think that determines who we are. And if we keep that in mind, then all of a sudden, our view of life shifts. And I don’t expect every student to have that complete shift. But I hope I planted some seeds so that as they grow older and mature, they sometimes might think of it.

You students have no idea how lucky [you are]. You leave your laptop wherever, you leave everything out. Nobody steals that. For me, that is fantastic. It’s heaven. I remember in the beginning, when my German friend said “So how was your school?” I always answered, “Oh, it’s teacher heaven.” It’s [been] true until the very end.

Neil Shaw, Chemistry teacher

I’ve been teaching in total for about 35 years. I was looking for opportunities to teach in California, and [Harker] seemed like a good fit, so I jumped on the chance. When I first arrived here, it was the height of COVID, so everything was Zoom based. Mr. Irvine and I did our first big thing on campus, which was the lab day. That’s when we first really got students back on campus. It was a highlight to get back to some resemblance of normality. Just being in class with students, that’s what I like to do, and I got many happy memories of students just enjoying class.

Especially when you’re doing the hands-on labs, and it’s stuff that students haven’t seen, there’s usually a ‘wow’ moment somewhere. [Teaching] is one of those jobs which can be very rewarding when you see students changing, making progress and learning, not necessarily chemistry but also just about themselves. No two days are the same, and no two students are the same. Even giving the same [lesson] to different classes is not the same. People say teaching keeps you young, right? I don’t feel young anymore. But I certainly can understand why people say that. I don’t know what else I would do. I just enjoy the interactions with colleagues and with students.

I plan to carry on teaching. I’m hopefully going to be staying in the Bay Area, but I’m not 100% sure yet. [My goal as a teacher] is for students to leave my classes in a better position than when they entered them, whether it’s knowing more chemistry or just having a better grasp of how things work. That’s why you teach at the end of the day. You teach to make a difference.

Bridget Nixon, English teacher

My ninth and twelfth grade English teacher, [Jason] Berry, had such a positive influence on me. It was an honor and blessing to have learned from him, and he’s absolutely inspired me as an educator. A few years ago I was talking to a former Harker teacher, and he told me, “If we have any openings, you should think about applying.” I did, and it just kind of miraculously worked out. It has been really cool to see the ways in which the school has grown. I see just a growing awareness in the student body about different social issues. I think partly, it’s because Gen Z is a very accepting group. 

My top one goal as a teacher would be making sure it’s super clear to my students that their mental health matters. Making sure that it’s not something I talk about in passing, but that it’s how I am with them every day, how I organize my lessons, the amount of work I assign, the kind of work I assign, how I talk to students and how I support them in office hours. Another goal has been promoting a love of reading. Reading is a wonderful way to broaden your mind, expand your knowledge base and expose yourself to new ideas.

I have favorite memories from even [my last] week, when I took my fourth period class to write poems outside in chalk … At the end of that class period, I looked out at my classroom, and I just saw so many smiling faces. Hearing “Wow, that’s beautiful” or “I love poetry” coming from students’ mouths and seeing the pavement just covered with poems, from Walt Whitman to Tupac, was beautiful to me. 

Michael Wilt, Math teacher

I’ve just finished three years at Harker … and now I’m actually moving to Oakland. I got a job at Head-Royce School since my significant other lives in Oakland, and it’s my way of getting closer. 

I’ve really loved how critical students can be as far as the thinking that’s going on. It always keeps me on my toes. I tend to be a very detail-oriented person, and when students ask questions that are focused on details and make me really have to think about how I’m communicating, that makes me a better educator, because I’m being clear. It makes me have to be concise and also clear.

One thing that I’m always stressing is to question everything. Be skeptical and also be yourself. I feel like a lot of times, our students tend to perform to be the good boy or good girl, but aren’t necessarily doing it because that’s the thing that brings them joy. As a person who’s always trying to live their most authentic self … I’m like, there’s so much there that just is untapped potential. That’s my superpower: seeing somebody and knowing what they can do. So when I see people who are so stuck in this idea of like, “This is who people tell me I should be” and they’re not realizing who they want to be, it’s like “No, come on, come on, look inside, who do you want to be? Bring that person out.”

I’m gonna miss my advisory so much because I feel like I’m abandoning them. I’ve been with them for three years, and now it’s their last year. I would love to have a way to stay in contact and come back, I would love to come back for graduation and continue to see how [the Class of 2024] thrives and participates in the world. I’m gonna miss everybody — my students [and] my friends.