In San Ignacio Lagoon in the Baja California region of Mexico, gray whales swim up to canoes full of tourists, rubbing their heads against the boats as if to ask the people to pet them. While others are busy taking photos, biology teacher Mike Pistacchi reaches out a hand to pet the mother whale nearing his boat. The whale swims away briefly and returns with her calf, peeking through one eye as she lets him pet it. That moment left Pistacchi in awe, serving as a lesson to observe and interact with nature first-hand.
Pistacchi’s fascination with the natural environment stemmed from childhood fishing trips with his father. Soon, this hobby began to take on a great meaning to him: To Pistacchi, each successful catch symbolizes being in tune with nature and understanding how different parts of the ecosystem interact with one another.
“I’m not the kind of fisherman that just sits there, throws bait in the water and stares at the sky all day,” Pistacchi said. “No matter where I’m at, whether it’s at the ocean or up in the mountains, I’m paying attention to things like weather and tide and what kind of insects are out and all the things that would affect that ecosystem. What makes fishing great is [that] when you do catch a fish, it’s a wonderful feeling because you actually understood how nature worked.”
As a child, Pistacchi felt more comfortable socializing in nature, hiking or enjoying outdoor activities with others. Even decades later, he still finds the same comfort in the natural world and believes that there is always something to learn from being outside.
“I’ve learned that the natural world is unbelievably complex,” Pistacchi said. “Even 40 years of being deeply immersed in it, I still feel like I’ve got 100 years to go before I really understand what’s happening out there. It’s humbling every single time you try to achieve something in nature, whether it’s surfing and catching a wave, or fishing and catching a fish.”
On some fishing trips, Pistacchi reels in one fish after another as he watches whales and sharks swim in the ocean around him. Even after many years of fishing, however, he still runs into days where not a single fish bites and the waters appear empty. Nevertheless, Pistacchi treasures these experiences as lessons for future fishing expeditions.
“The hardest part is keeping in mind that even when you’re not successful, you’re learning,” Pistacchi said. “There are the days where everything comes together and it’s amazing, and then there’s so many days where it’s not. In life, your failures are as important as anything. You’re watching and you’re learning and you’re figuring out what you did wrong every time you have a bad day.”
Beyond fishing, Pistacchi also implements the lessons he has learned from nature to inspire those around him. Pistacchi’s daughter Mara Pistacchi (10) commended Pistacchi’s persistence to becoming a teacher and appreciates how his supportive nature pushes her to improve in academics.
“He’s pretty dedicated,” Mara said. “He could have been a researcher and he could have gone into academia, but what he liked most in college was being a TA because he likes helping people. [But since] he’s a teacher, he’s very encouraging about grades, so if I get like a bad grade, he’ll be like, okay, what did you do wrong? Fix it. It’s helpful that way with academics. He always encourages me to try and make an effort. I think that’s the best thing that you can do.”
Having gone fishing with Pistacchi in the past, Visual Arts department chair Joshua Martinez admires Pistacchi’s persistence in the hobby, as well as how his empathy has positively influenced him in both his personal and professional life.
“Mr. Pistacchi is a person who just genuinely cares about people, and that is inspiring to me to approach all circumstances with the positivity and evenness of a classic water dweller,” Martinez said. “He’s very calm and generous and sees the best in people.”
In addition to fishing, Pistacchi surfs, hikes, backpacks and gardens. No matter the hobby, he embraces the lessons of persistence he learned from fishing.
“In science, you’re building those hypotheses and you’re understanding the world around you,” Pistacchi said. “When I’m gardening, my wife and I have a hypothesis that tomatoes are gonna grow great if we do these things. For surfing, I have a hypothesis about where the waves are going to break. You get confirmation or denial of your understanding, and then you learn and you grow and you try again.”
Pistacchi extends this trial-and-error approach to teaching in the classroom. To him, each class session is a learning opportunity for not only the students but also himself.
“I love teaching for the same reasons that I love fishing, and it’s because humans are infinitely complex, just like nature is infinitely complex,” Pistacchi said. “I have a lot of great days because I’ve been teaching so long, but I also have some terrible days that I learn from. Every single day I sit down at my desk after I’ve taught something, and I’m making notes to myself about how I can do it differently and better the next time.”