GILROY
– Ann Zuhr, longtime math teacher at Gilroy High School, rode
out the transition from slide rules and calculation tables to
graphing calculators and computers in the classroom.
GILROY – Ann Zuhr, longtime math teacher at Gilroy High School, rode out the transition from slide rules and calculation tables to graphing calculators and computers in the classroom.
However, this past school year was full of transitions of a different sort, as the respected math department chair and mentor teacher prepared for retirement after 32 years in the classroom.
Thirty of those years were spent at GHS, and with the last day of classes approaching, Zuhr was grateful she had the chance to leave her legacy at the school. From training a new department chair to organizing the high school exit exam and California Standards Test for the school’s 2,900 students, there were few areas on campus left untouched by Zuhr’s influence.
One of her favorite accomplishments this past year was letting two junior teachers observe her pre-calculus class. In demonstrating lessons for the teachers on a near-daily basis, Zuhr ensured that her veteran teaching skills will pass on.
“That’s been my gift to them,” she said. “It’s been a blessing to me because I was able to transition not only the (California Standards Test), but I was also able to transition part of my teaching personality to them. I think that’s an enriching experience for a teacher because most don’t have the time, luxury, or encouragement from other teachers to sit and watch long-term.”
Zuhr came to the Gilroy Unified School District from Southern California, where she taught math for two years. As a new teacher, she quickly got her feet wet, teaching Algebra I and II, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, independent studies and a senior math class.
“I figured, after that, I can teach anything,” she said – math-related, that is: She came to Gilroy when the Southern California school wanted her to start teaching English. At GHS, she continued to teach many levels of math, including algebra, geometry and the now-phased-out integrated math.
When Zuhr first entered the classroom in 1972, the year the Watergate scandal made headlines, “we didn’t even have calculators,” she said. Students pored through binders full of calculation tables.
Learning how to use new technology – not to mention how to teach with it – was a challenge, to be sure, but well worth it.
“I think the process of learning the technology was way overcome by the benefits it provided,” she said, gesturing with enthusiasm. “You just have this wonderful thing. … I can spend more time delving into ‘ugly numbers.’ ”
Zuhr’s daughters, Beth, 25, and Kathryn, 22, both graduated from GHS, but only Kathryn enrolled in one of her mother’s classes, and “it was just fine,” Ann Zuhr said.
What intereste both of them was that Kathryn got the chance to compare her mother’s reputation on campus to how she actually ran her classroom. Zuhr said she is well aware of her reputation among students as a rather, well, strict teacher.
Once they get in class, she said, students get to see the woman behind the myth – the one who sets high expectations while helping students meet them – but they don’t lose the preconception entirely.
“Rules, regulations and standards were created to be upheld, and I think it’s important for us to do that,” she said. “I think only the (students) that are actually in the class really see that, yes, the high standards are there, but the support is also there.
“The hand is saying, ‘You must do,’ and the other hand is also saying, ‘You can do it,’ and is pulling you along.”
She employed the same support system during her six-year role as advisor for the California Scholarship Federation, a national club for students with high grade point averages. To participate, students must not only qualify, but make the effort to apply. Zuhr is quick to remind them that the national application deadline is strictly enforced.
At 55, Zuhr is expressive, gesturing frequently in a way that few people, besides teachers, do. Tall and thin, she speaks quickly and – particularly when math is the subject – emphasizes her points with a nod and a smile.
“I’ve seen other people retire, and I don’t think I’ve seen anybody try and prepare us for it as much as she has,” Principal Bob Bravo said. “No one had to ask her … she took the bull by the horns and basically said, ‘This is what I’m going to do.’ She’s been involved in all aspects of the work – classes, clubs, assessment, she helped with the testing, with (training Bob Santos), the new department chair.”
Bravo said the teachers who observed Zuhr’s classroom began the year feeling slightly overwhelmed by her skills and ended the year better teachers for it.
“I know that they really appreciated it because Ann is really good at what she does,” he said. “For sure, I know they felt impressed by watching her, but I think that they have grown over the year thanks to her.”
As the school year wrapped up last week, Zuhr was recognized at two year-end events: A banquet for the district’s retiring teachers and the GHS staff’s last meeting. There, she was presented with a bouquet of flowers and Teacher of the Year plaque. Also, students voted her “Most Intelligent Teacher” in the yearbook.
Ready to pass the torch, Zuhr said she is leaving the students in good hands.
“The thing about Gilroy High is, we have so many teachers who care, we have a real caring staff here,” she said. “So they’ll do without me. They’ll do just fine.”
Zuhr’s summer is filled with volunteer activities. A docent at Bonfante Gardens since the family theme park opened four years ago, she looks forward to spreading out her time spent at the park. She also will work at the Garlic Festival next month and this fall plans to attend a two-week genealogy course in Washington, D.C.
Zuhr and her husband of 28 years, Ken – also newly retired – will embark on a trip to Alaska in another couple’s 42-foot Nordic tug and attend daughter Kathryn’s wedding in Madison, Wis., in August. The couple will visit Ken’s alma mater, Dartmouth College, later this fall.
“Fall leaves in New England – I think that’s when it’ll really hit,” she said. “When I can do things when I was supposed to be in school.”
