Reply To: Best and Worst Teachers at SRHS (from original forum archive)
Yes, Allan Barahal was my favorite teacher as well. Next was Walter Beldon. I spent a lot of time in marching band, jazz band, pep band and really enjoyed Terry Summa. Was not aware of how Allan left SRHS, seems a bit odd. He opened the eyes of many a young middle class brat such as myself.
Wow, Madrone...that brings back memories (some of them kinda scary ones). I never used to know what that weird little building was beside the front parking lot (until I ended up there). I didn't even know there were classes there. I just remember that the smoking areas were all around the building (instead of the designated SRHS smoking areas). Also George Rideout and Esther Kligman, the two keepers in charge. (And by the way, you guys, his name was spelled Tom Truchan.)
Alan Barahal, he was the best teacher. When he got fired from SRHS, we at Madrone High School, where all the misfits were, got him once a week just for a couple of hours. The roll sheet at madrone never had more than 35-40 at the most. Attendance not even half of that, yet on the day Alan would come, everyone would be there and then some old students too. Standing room only in the largest classroom. I remember the first time I was there. He started with, "Let's get to the point. What the F__K are you planning to do when you turn 18?" I adored him! At San Rafael High School, before I got kicked out and sent to Madrone, I was one of the last students of SWAS with teacher's Bret Tovani and Tom Trucken. Cool for us then, but easy paycheck for them! I got A's for smoking pot basically. It was a stoner romper room.
French: Madame Goff-Tuttle ("The Goffer") English: Mr. Bennett (he was new when I was there in the late 80s) Social Studies: Mr. Tovani (everybody loved Bret--he used to let me eat salami and cheese and olives in class, but of course he's best known for b-ball coaching--his son was in my class--'90) Science: Mr. Lack I never had what I considered a decent math teacher, so I won't even name names, except to say that Mr. Hourigan (sp?) taught geometry at the speed of light. I was constantly lost and getting demerits for chatting with my neighbor.
One thing I appreciated about all of the above teachers was their fairness. I was pretty outspoken (mainly in writing but also class discussions) about my Christian beliefs and they didn't stifle me or act condescending. I can't say that about all the teachers, such as my economics teacher (name escapes me but he was basically a Marxist) who tried to shut down the Christian club I started, although he did let me post flyers in his classroom ("free speech"). I had to get a lawyer to show the school district the Equal Access Act which allowed us to meet on campus during non-instructional time (lunc). After all, there was a Tai Chi club and Tom Truckin did meditation and ouji board stuff right in the classroom (thankfully I didn't have him).
I didn't have Mr. Diaz but he used to drive me to school my senior year because we moved to Novato and he lived near me--I had to be there at 7:15 for advanced French but he wanted to be there even earlier, so I'll always remember waiting outside at 6:10am in the dark, freezing cold, and then getting into his warm car and listening to KCBS news radio while we sat in traffic. He was such a grandfatherly kind man.
I also didn't have Mr. Cunningham (always wished I'd taken Latin at Davidson when he taught it there) but because I was an office aide, I got to know him a bit, and we used to pal around.
I don't know if they still offer cooking, but that was a really fun class with the teacher being a bit Julia Child-ish, though much more personable. I'll never forget having to make noodles from scratch for my final which was pasta alfredo, while other students only had to make salsa!
1972-1976 era: Mr. Carrasco for Spanish, Mr. Young for math
Actually, I had almost nothing but positive experiences in class at SRHS. Teachers were fair, sympathetic and enthusiastic. I can't remember a bad one.
I knew Milt Hanes and Tom Trucken and Virginia Franklin....but Alan Barahal was the best educator I have ever had. Bar none. I took philosophy from John Curtin; my 9th grade philosophy class was more challenging than some university classes. I still have my copy of Plato's Republic with my notes in the margins. Mr Curtin also taught humanties; I took both philosophy and humanities thoughout my high school years. Such demanding courses are not offered in high schools any more. I had Charles Fesler for Government in summer school the year the Rep. convention was in SF. Barry Goldwater was the nominee; LBJ was the democratic nominee. This was in the midst of the Civil Rights movement, the Free Speech Movement, the war in Viet Nam was getting hot, and all just following the assassination of Pres. Kennedy. An interesting time to be studying govt. with the likes of Mr. Fesler! What a summer! It was an immersion course, tons of reading, with lectures, debates and discussions that rose to volitile levels during class....I LOVED it!
Mrs. Adele Roberts for German --- What a nightmare. She was unforgiving. One error in an ending or a preposition and she'd throw the blackboard eraser at you. She reduced me to tears more than once. I got C's every quarter. Would she has been stunned to learn that 10 years later I was TEACHING high school German, but only because I ended up living and working in Germany for a few years and learned the spoken the language as well as I had learned the grammatical rules and all those genders and cases and tenses and endings in her class. Mrs Roberts was old school, for sure.
Cookie Cunningham....what a love! The days we baked cookies, all the boys would be waiting outside the cooking room (now a computer lab) to walk us to class. Cookie was the ultimate home ec teacher.
Mr. Ewing, Mrs.Sorrelle, Mr. Roberts-- A.P. English PLUS. He was so tough. On one essay he announced that not one of the students sin 2 his two AP classes had done well enough for an A so he would award an honorary A to the best paper, anyway. But could he teach!
Mr.Maurice taught art, and was the yearbook advisor when I was on yearbook staff for 4 years. So nice! He gave us off-campus passed whenever we wanted; we'd go over to Montecito to Swensons for ice cream.
favorate teacher has got to be Tom Trucken. He was the man. I also liked Milton Hayne. Gallee wasn't that bad. I kinda of feel bad he stopped teaching after our class. Worse teacher I think was the guy who taught math and radio. Forgot his name, but he was an ass. Anyway that's about it. James W.
