Don Gavitte — Social Studies

The most tenured social studies teacher in the school, Don Gavitte, began teaching at Grant High School in 2000, the same year his eldest son was born. His daughter was born four years later. This overlap has allowed his teaching philosophy to shape his parenting. However, the all-encompassing nature of teaching has at times left Gavitte feeling guilty for having had to prioritize educating his students over supporting his own children.

Still, the lessons he has sought to teach both his students and children are similar, and he has always encouraged them to chase knowledge rather than grades. Being able to help students foster these passions is what Gavitte values most about teaching, and he sees the journey of parenthood as the passionate pursuit that has grounded him in his own life. “I want to be real,” he says. “I want to help kids live an acquired life, not just let life roll over you … but investigate, see, feel, hear, interpret what’s going on. It makes the day go a lot better.”

Alex Luboff — Woodworking

“Being a parent has tested me in a lot of ways,” says Alex Luboff, the Woodworking teacher at Grant. Luboff began teaching eight years ago, before his now 6 and 4-year-old children were born. While he worked longer days in the beginning of his career, he says that gaining the caretaking responsibilities of parenthood has meant he has less time to spend working at home.

Luboff’s career has helped him understand the developmental and educational milestones that his students, and therefore his children, experience. At home, Luboff uses his construction expertise and tools to facilitate small building projects with his children. “If my 5-year-old can do it, then I assume a high schooler can probably pull it off,” he says.

Parenting has also given Luboff a deeper understanding of and compassion for his students, traits he values in the classroom. “I think parenting has, just for me, strengthened the things that we know to be true in teaching: that every student is an individual with their own path to getting here. But it’s really deep in that understanding for me … that the struggles and the path of being human, (and) being together as humans, are things that we all share,” he says.

Jamie Lyle — Algebra 1/2

When she got pregnant, Jamie Lyle took a 10-year break from teaching. She returned with a similar outlook on the job but a new relationship with the people involved.

In her four years at Grant, she’s been able to apply lessons from classes to raise her children: “I work to make sure they (have a) growth mindset … if I had not been as trained as a teacher, I might not have known at a young age how important that was,” she says. Balancing work with supporting her kids academically has given her a deeper compassion for parents in the community. As one of her sons begins learning algebra, he’s even been able to check her tests for errors before she hands them out to students.

“Having taught for so long, too, I’ve gotten to see people who I taught become doctors, become parents, commit suicide,” Lyle says. “I keep that in mind when I’m working with my own kids: that it’s just a special moment in people’s life, and it’s really an honor to be a part of it.”

Colin Oriard — Spanish 7/8 & Substitute

“I knew I wanted to be a father when I was 15 years old,” says Grant Spanish teacher Colin Oriard. His parents were also teachers — his father a professor at Oregon State University and his mother a kindergarten teacher. “She was this incredible teacher,” he says, “with so much energy and compassion and light for the kids.” Oriard’s first try at teaching was also with kindergarteners, but after three years, he realized high school would be a better fit.

Stemming from difficult experiences in his own adolescence, Oriard’s approaches to parenting and teaching have significant overlap. “For me, compassion and empathy are the two most critical parts of teaching and parenting,” he says. “When you feel safe, when you feel encouraged, when you feel motivated, your brain works a lot better. I try to think of that in all aspects of my life, but especially with parenting and teaching.”