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Mr T is brilliant at creating good relationships with people. He used his talent to help people and help our school.
Mr. T helped many students find their way, encouraging them to find their strength and move forward.
Mr. T helped staff members in the same way. He was a mentor to Tim, our Assistant Director. Tim was a teacher at our school and Mr. T encouraged him to move forward and become an administrator.
Mr. T built relationships with the SMUHSD school board, principals and directors of other schools, elected officials, and local community leaders. His ability to forge strong relationships is part of why our school survived the difficult years of cuts so well.
We will always be in his debt and appreciate all he has done for our school and the larger community.
Later this year, we will have a celebration for his retirement.
Here is an announcement about his retirement. It includes a "bio" - a biography - about his FIFTY years with San Mateo Union High School district.
PRESS RELEASE
Date: Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Larry Teshara to Retire as Director of the San Mateo Adult School of the
San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD) After 50 Years of Educational Service
Teshara, who has been in education for 50 years, including 20 years as the Adult School Director, will depart the SMUHSD at the end of the 16/17 School Year
San Mateo, Calif. – Larry Teshara, Director of the San Mateo Adult School of the San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD), has announced his retirement, effective June 30, 2017. Mr. Teshara has been with the SMUHSD for 45 years, with the past 20 years as the Director of the San Mateo Adult School – a community asset and educational resource, especially for community members who arrive to the United States looking to improve their circumstances through education.
Teshara, affectionately called "Mr. T" by his students and staff, has been in education since February of 1967 when he became a full-time English teacher and counselor with the San Bruno Park School District immediately after earning his teaching credential at the age of 23. In 1972, he joined the SMUHSD as a counselor of the since-closed Crestmoor High. After four years at Crestmoor, he became the Assistant Principal of Aragon High for six years, followed by 15 years as Principal of Burlingame High School starting in 1983. In 1997, he became the much beloved Director of the San Mateo Adult School. He is known and respected for revitalizing Burlingame High School and the Adult School during tenuous times. Teshara leaves the Adult School a thriving learning center serving approximately 8,000 students.
Tom Mohr, past SMUHSD superintendent and current San Mateo County Community College Board President, states, "Larry Teshara has had a phenomenal career. No one in this county who has been responsible for thousands of students, has served students in a more professional and principled manner. He is the manifestation of all the qualities an educator should strive for."
When asked what he feels he did best in his career, Teshara shares, "I connected with people. I got out from behind my desk and made sure that everyone knew they were welcome, important and that they mattered to our school."
Dr. Kevin Skelly, Superintendent of the SMUHSD, thanked Teshara for his years of District service. "Larry is a community icon," explains Superintendent Skelly. "He is an extraordinary man who has done extraordinary things for so many people. He will be dearly missed from the halls of the Adult School and District leadership meetings."
The SMUHSD will soon commence the process to select a successor as Adult School Director worthy of his legacy.
More about the SMUHSD
The San Mateo Union High School District, in existence for more than 110 years, continues to be a vital community academic and cultural resource. With an annual operating budget that is funded primarily through local property taxes, it provides education to a diverse range of approximately 8,600 students attending six highly-rated comprehensive high schools, a special Middle College program in conjunction with the College of San Mateo, an alternative high school where students voluntarily recover credits, and a robust Adult School Program. The District has graduated an estimated 132,000 young people since its founding in 1902. To learn more about the SMUHSD, visit www.smuhsd.org or find us on facebook and twitter @SMUHSD.
