The signs of Gary Wendorf’s 30-year tenure in Gilroy schools are
everywhere. There is his seemingly effortless ability to amuse his
class of fifth-graders.
Gilroy – The signs of Gary Wendorf’s 30-year tenure in Gilroy schools are everywhere. There is his seemingly effortless ability to amuse his class of fifth-graders. There are the 124 Pez dispensers – ranging from a dusty Snoopy to a shiny SpongeBob SquarePants – that line his classroom window. Then there are the scores of Looney Tunes stuffed animals, the well-worn map of the United States and the portrait of Dragnet’s Joe Friday behind his desk.
However, his thousands of past students, district parents and teaching colleagues will not find these signature items at Luigi Aprea Elementary School next year. Wendorf is retiring after 33 years as an elementary school teacher and 30 years with the Gilroy Unified School District.
While he had been considering retiring for a while, Wendorf was prompted to act fast because of the death of colleagues.
“Three of my friends passed away recently,” said the 60-year-old fifth-grade teacher, decked in shorts, a Hawaiian T-shirt and a pair of large eyeglasses. “It started me thinking, ‘Geez, there’s no guarantee how much time is left.’ ”
Not Far From Home
While Wendorf grew up in San Jose, he did not expect to end up in Gilroy or as a teacher. In fact, as a 22-year-old graduate in journalism from University of California, Long Beach, he seemed headed in a different direction.
Wendorf spent his first two years out of school working as a sports writer for a football magazine. When that publication went under, he secured a job with a newspaper in Chino. However, he soon had second thoughts that changed his life.
“On the drive down there, I said, ‘Oh my god, I don’t’ want to be here,’ ” Wendorf said.
Instead, he decided to finish up coursework and earned his teaching credential. It was a decision that enabled him to spend three years at a school district in Cyprus – a city outside Anaheim – and then an additional 30 years with Gilroy.
Wendorf’s first assignment was at El Roble Elementary School in 1977. He was transferred a year later to Brownell Fundamental School, which opened in 1978 with kindergarten through eighth grade. When Luigi Aprea opened in 1996, he was part of the school’s inaugural staff.
While Wendorf enjoyed his time in education, he dislikes the direction it is heading.
“As I’ve gotten older and education has become more political, it’s become more frustrating for me,” he said. “The way it was changing with the No Child Left Behind” – a federal policy mandating standardized tests and yearly improvements by students in certain subjects – “and everything geared to the test, test, test – that’s taking the fun out of it.”
Despite being a veteran educator, the legislation took its toll on Wendorf.
“I was just getting burned out on all the extra paperwork,” he said.
A Great Teacher, But a Bad Scout
While education might be changing, students, parents and colleagues remain appreciative of Wendorf.
“He’s really nice,” said 10-year-old Marquel Love. “He helps us if we need help. If we need to ask questions, he’ll explain it to us in a way that we understand.”
Parents are seeing the fruits of this patience and understanding in their children’s progress.
“He’s a great teacher,” said Beverly Filippi, whose daughter, Nadine, was in his class last year. “He inspired her to work real hard. When they did well, he really pointed it out to the parent – it got her excited. She says he’s her favorite teacher.”
He got the kids to work hard by keeping the class fun for kids, said Pam Tognetti, a first-grade teacher at Luigi Aprea whose three children were in Wendorf’s classes and who has worked with him since 1978. Strategies for generating excitement include creating tapes of the students’ favorite music, organizing group competitions, and distributing fake money – known as lucky bucks – that students use to bid on prizes.
Wendorf will be missed, Tognetti said.
“It’s a loss because he was one of the veterans and he was one of the first who started (at Luigi Aprea),” she said. “It’s really important to have a male role model at that age.”
However, his antics, his cartoon character paraphernalia and his academic traditions – such as demanding students flawlessly identify 30 random states on a map by the end of the year – have secured him a place in the memories of hundreds of Gilroyans.
“His teachings were of the utmost quality and I appreciated the way that he worked with all of his students,” wrote former student Jeff Garcia, now quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in an e-mail. “I am happy for him and all of the quality years that he gave to the educational system of Gilroy and all of the kids that were fortunate enough to have him as a teacher.”
Wendorf was also Garcia’s basketball coach at Gilroy High School and, when Garcia was nearing graduation, encouraged him to pursue an academic career instead of one in sports. In hindsight, this might have been a blunder, joked Wendorf.
“Evidently, he went on to do quite well in football,” he said.
A Piece of Paradise
While accustomed to a noisy classroom full of students, Wendorf will be using his new abundance of free time to find havens in the nearby mountains and beaches.
“I enjoy going to the nearest far-away place,” he said.
He and his wife – who operates a daycare center in town – also have plans to travel to New England in the fall and Australia in 2008. While in Gilroy, Wendorf will catch up on projects in progress, such as organizing a music collection that spans seven decades and recording some of his life stories.
With four kids and eight grandkids in the area, Wendorf does not expect to stray far from his home of 30 years. Although he never intended to end up here or as a teacher, he does not regret the day he turned his car around in Chino.
“I think it was a good decision overall,” he said.
