Graduation is a symbol of experience and ambition. Math and computer science teacher Ran Gu’s transition from teaching at Jeffrey Trail Middle School to Portola High is reflective of this tradition.
Over the course of three years at Jeffrey Trail, Gu taught App Development, Video Production and Math 8. At Portola High, he teaches AP Computer Science Principles, Exploring Computer Science and Math II. He went to college for computer science, which factored into his decision to make the switch to high school, according to Gu.
“It was a tough one, because I absolutely enjoyed working with the teachers at Jeffrey Trail,” Gu said. “They were fantastic people to work with. I enjoyed the ideas we had, and I enjoyed the grade level.”
During his time teaching middle school, Gu built a digital system for W.I.N.G.S. tickets, a form of recognition for students who demonstrate the positive values represented by the acronym (W stands for willing to take risks, I for integrity in actions, N for noble in thoughts, G for generous in spirit and S for self-directed). The website also organizes sign-ups for school events and Advantage, which resembles our Office Hours, and eventually became a student hub, according to Gu.
“I had a great time there and I’m having a great time here,” Gu said. “I guess my personal philosophy is every experience is what you make it. So if you think you’re going to have a good time and you have a positive perspective on things, you will have a great time. It’s not necessarily a result of the environment, it’s you.”
Gu also revealed that he kept every tissue box that his classes finished using, eventually building a tower from the floor to the ceiling while teaching at Jeffrey Trail. He decided to give a tissue box to each of his students before leaving the school. Hoping to be a familiar face on campus for incoming freshmen, he told them that if they returned the tissue box to him at Portola High, he would give them a treat. Gu was excited to share that he has received about half of his collection back so far, and he gave the returning students lollipops!
“I get sentimental about things ––– I get attached to things,” Gu said. “I didn’t want to throw them away, and I was like, ‘Oh, I’m moving to Portola, I’m going to take them with me.’”
As he transitioned into teaching high school, Gu learned about varied approaches for teaching different age groups. His mentor teacher said middle school is the time teachers work on controlling student energy and encouraging focus. In high school, however, bringing out student energy is a goal because a lack of interest or engagement in class is a consequence of students’ busy lives.
“What I did miss about middle school is that they’re super creative,” Gu said. “So that’s why I tell all my high school students: ‘Don’t lose your creativity. You still want to remember what it was like when you let your imagination do whatever it does.’”
Gu’s journey made the eighth grade promotion at Jeffrey Trail last year extra special for him. Along with the students, homeroom teachers were given a certificate of promotion to maintain organization, but for him, it symbolized growth and accomplishment. In his first year at Jeffrey Trail, he was a student teacher, and by the end of his last, it was almost as if he was being promoted alongside his eighth grade students, who were among the first groups of students he taught.
“It kind of felt like I was graduating with them,” Gu said. “It felt like I graduated from middle school and now I’m here. I can empower these students to think ‘I can do this. I can have a career that involves this,’ and to believe in themselves.”
