February 2000, Volume 68, Number 2 |
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| Spreadsheet One *Beyond Grey Pinstripes *Nothing But the Best *E-Buzz at Reunion Panels |
Spreadsheet Two *New Ventures *Neale Scores a Win-Win *Brewing Up Dinner |
Spreadsheet Three *New President for SBSAA *First Comes Love... *Business School Alums on Search Team |
| A Closer Look: Robert Loew A Closer Look: Laura Hattendorf and Ashley Boren For The Record: MBA Class of 1999 Placement Report |
A Closer Look:
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| Photo by Saul Bromberger and Sandra Hoover |
"It had been in the back of my mind for the past 15 or 20 years that what I really wanted to be was a teacher," says Loew, who initiated the GSB's volunteer peer tutoring program when he was a student. And when the opportunity to teach presented itself again, "I looked at it as payback time. I'd been very fortunate, having received a wonderful education in California. I wanted to give something back," he says.
To combat a serious deficit of qualified teachers, Loew's school district has teamed up with California State University at Hayward and created an innovative program to train teachers that combines course work with hands-on teaching experience. "In August I started an intensive course schedule that continues through the school year," says Loew, and, after four weeks of preparation, he began teaching at both the middle school and high school levels.
The student reaction has been very positive, he says. In the first week he was able to show a student how an algebra problem they were working on could be applied to a real-world situation Loew had experienced in his earlier incarnation as an
engineer—something a recent college grad would probably not have been able to emulate.
Has he been surprised by anything since the program began? "Yes, the incredible amount of time this program consumes," he says, "and I found that my initial perception about which level I wanted to teach was wrong." Loew imagined that high school would present more disciplinary problems than middle school, but he has discovered the opposite to be true. He's found that high schoolers are much more thoughtful than most media outlets portray them. "They're aware of the world around them, and what's going on out there," Loew says.
Does he see himself as an advocate for late-career teachers? "My first priority is to become a really good teacher myself. After that, I certainly hope I'll be able to inspire others to choose this particular path" and, in doing so, perhaps help to alter the old cliche to read: "Those who can, teach."
—PETER CALLAHAN
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