Teacher Talk profiles

Teacher Talk is a series of profiles on California teachers and other educators.

Two smiling men wear aloha shirts. One man has light gray hair and a mustache and holds a ukulele. Bill Dempsey has dark gray hair, a mustache and a bright shirt.

Bill Dempsey, retired 2016, Heninger Elementary School, Santa Ana Unified

Bill Dempsey has been a musician in one form or another since childhood.

Rick and Janet Sitts are smiling, taking a selfie with a scenic waterfall and canyon in the background. Rick has gray hair and a gray jacket. Janet has brown hair and wears a light blue jacket.

Janet Sitts, retired 2014, Valley Oak Elementary and Korematsu Elementary, Davis

Janet Sitts wore many hats before fulfilling her dream of becoming a teacher. Her eye for art started an early career path in print and design for University of California Davis. Her path shifted when she went to the Bay Area as an interior designer. From there, it was motherhood and a desire to start teaching.

Kathy Cuevas has blond hair and wears a blue shirt and a straw hat. There is a city full of bright beige adobe houses and a body of water in the background.

Kathy Cuevas, retired 2021, Kaiser High School, Fontana

Kathy Cuevas taught everything from typing to special education and economics, but her real passion was teaching finance.

Mary Nelson has white hair and glasses and wears a blue and white floral shirt. Myron Nelson has white hair and glasses and wears a teal button up shirt.

Myron Nelson, retired 1985, Rosemead Elementary School District

Editor's update: Myron Nelson passed away October 8, 2023. We share our condolences with his family.

Eva Schmidler has short white curly hair and wears a white shirt. She is holding a children's book she wrote.

Eva Schmidler, retired 1991, Saddleback Unified School District

Eva Schmidler says she’s had three completely different careers. All of them in teaching. That doesn’t even count the 25 years she taught tai chi…

Laurence Frame is partly bald with white hair. He is wearing glasses and wears a blue sweater.

Laurence Frame, retired 2001, Gunderson High School, San Jose

Laurence Frame is a man of many talents and has a dream: One day they will come. Specifically, he would like a Major League pitcher to accept his…

Craig Rowe wears a black stocking cap and a black sweatshirt and blue jeans. He is smiling and stands in front of a digital display for La Fuerza Latina.

Craig Rowe, Truckee High School, 2022 Placer County Teacher of the Year

Craig Rowe never saw himself becoming a teacher. Growing up in the 70s and 80s in Hayward, he remembers school as a diverse yet factional place with…

Mark Galipeau is bald and wears glasses. He has a long gray mustache. There are sails and water in the background.

Mark Galipeau, retired 2017, Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District

Retired elementary teacher Mark Galipeau took to the seas in retirement. He spends some of his time helping sail historic tall ships.

Francisco Laguna has short dark hair and is smiling. He crouches on sand at a beach with a cloudy sky behind him.

Francisco Laguna, Eastwood Elementary School, Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District

Francisco “Mr. Franco” Laguna became a teacher in 1997 after volunteering at a nearby after-school reading program.

David Salvaggio has short gray hair and is smiling. He wears a blue shirt.

David Salvaggio, retired 2013, Moreno Valley High School

Retired teacher David Salvaggio uses poetry to document his decades as a California educator in his book “Restless Gold: Musings About California’s…

Wayne Boudreau sits in front of a fireplace with his wife, Sherry. He has whit hair and a beard and mustache. Sherry has dark, shoulder-length hair.

Wayne Boudreau, retired 2020, Inspire Charter Schools

Wayne Boudreau has taught physical education off and on since 1969, but he has always kept his love of moving.

Lance Gunnersen is at work in his classroom. He has gray hair and is wearing safety glasses.

Lance Gunnersen, trades and industry instructor, El Dorado High School, Placerville

Lance Gunnersen knows he’s teaching his students skills they can use straight out of high school and beyond. As a trades and industry instructor at El…

Tony Brancato wears a blue shirt and glasses. His wife Barbara is wearing a green shirt and smiling.

Tony Brancato, substitute teacher at Beaumont Unified School District and retired principal, Orcutt Union School District

Tony Brancato loves education so much he couldn’t stay retired. After 20 years as a principal and seven years as a teacher, he tried to stop working.

John Carratello wears a black jacket and jeans and leans against a fence post with a tree in the background.

John Carratello, retired 2016, San Jacinto Unified School District

Author, musician, educator—John Carratello is a person of many talents. Along with his wife, Patricia—a former Riverside County Teacher of the Year—he…

Cecilia Estrada sits outside with greenery behind her. She smiles and has brown hair.

Retired, again: Former administrator enjoyed 16 years with philanthropy.

College professor Josh Fernandez wears a cap, glasses, maroon jacket and shirt that says community college.

Josh Fernandez, Folsom Lake College, Mule Creek State Prison

Community college professor Josh Fernandez didn’t take a direct path to teaching, nor was it originally his calling. It took finding someone who…

Cecilia Estrada sits with a laptop and colorful learning materials for children..

Cecilia Estrada, retired 2003, San Diego Unified School District

Former teacher and administrator Cecilia Estrada began her career in 1966 and tried to retire 37 years later. After a quick break, she ended up…

Teacher Margaret Hicks wears a blue sweater and white shirt and smiles.

Margaret Hicks, Oak Tree Community Day School

Margaret Hicks builds connections with her fifth and sixth grade students, challenging the traditional model of discipline in her work at Oak Tree…

Administrator Joe Mendoza uses a microphone.

Joe I. Mendoza, Ventura County Office of Education

After 63 years of service in education, Joe Mendoza enjoys his current job as director of Special Populations Educational Support with the Ventura…

Retired teacher Mary Higbee poses with a group of nursery school children in Tanzania.

Mary Higbee, retired 2007, Rescue Union School District

Mary Higbee always wanted to teach but didn’t earn her credential until she was in her 40s. She made up for lost time by heading to Africa after…

Marcia Benjamin smiles, wearing bright glasses and a scarf.

Marcia Benjamin, Laney College

When budget cuts hit Laney College’s Kinesiology Department, Marcia Benjamin added a side gig teaching a fee-based swimming class at the college to…

Bob Brown stands outside with a lake and trees in the background. He wears a neon green jacket.

Bob Brown, Retired 2014, Simi Valley Unified School District

In 2017, retired high school math teacher Bob Brown and his wife Elizabeth discovered the Empathy Tent during an event in Los Angeles and found their…

Kristiana Shea wears her hair in a ponytail bun. She smiles in front of water.

Kristina Shea, Rio Linda High School

Kristina Shea has worked the last four years as an education specialist at Rio Linda High School and is proud of the progress her students make. “When…

Myndi Hardgrave has short red hair and smiles. She's wearing a blue shirt and stands with her arms crossed.

Myndi Hardgrave, Hanford West High School

The one thing Myndi Hardgrave is proud of, “without a doubt,” is helping launch the GSA at Hanford West. “That will stand out the rest of my career as…

Autumn Browne has red, shoulder length hair and is smiling. she wears a pink and white striped shirt.

Autumn Browne, Brookhurst Junior High School, Anaheim

Middle school drama teacher Autumn Browne started her career in television journalism and acting.

Samantha Nunes laughing and reading a notebook

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