Teacher Talk profiles

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

A smiling woman in a sun hat and sunglasses holding a framed appreciation certificate.

Kristen Thompson, music teacher, Los Gatos

Kristen Thompson discovered her love of teaching at the age of 5 and hopes to inspire others to keep the torch of music alive in education.

Deborah wears a white shirt while holding her arms out and smiling in her backyard.

Deborah LeFalle, retired 2011, Mission College, Santa Clara

During her time as a Mission College faculty member, Deborah LeFalle made it her mission to uplift students.

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.

Samantha Nunes laughing and reading a notebook

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