Saratoga News

Photograph by Robert Scheer

Math teacher Hal Dueck is teaching the children of his former students at Saratoga High School.

Saratoga math teacher retiring after 34 years

By C.J. Cannino

You could almost call him an institution. After 34 years at Saratoga High School, Hal Dueck has become a fixture in the school's math department. But after a long, loyal career in teaching, the 59-year-old algebra and trigonometry teacher will say so long to the student body and staff at Saratoga High.

"I've always said, if you don't like teaching at Saratoga, you just don't like teaching, " Dueck says.

His track record proves where his heart has been for the last three decades. Most people have a difficult time sticking with algebra and trigonometry for a semester, but for Dueck, math has been a lifetime passion of precision and structure.

"Hal is into the beauty of math. He understands what math is unto itself, not just so he can solve a problem, " says fellow math teacher Bill Williams. Williams says he will miss the interaction that he and Dueck have shared, comparing students and teaching methods.

After 34 years, there are bound to be some things Dueck will miss about his students and the staff, but adhering to a classroom schedule is not one of them.

"Basicially, I'm not tying myself down to anything as regimented as school," Dueck says.

He and his wife, Bernice, will both be saying good-bye to teaching careers. Bernice will be wrapping up a 14-year career in the classroom. The last seven have been at Los Gatos Christian School. The first thing on the retirement agenda for the Duecks is a six-week trip to Europe.

The couple have also taught abroad in Colombia and plan to resume some teaching at the Black Forest Academy in Germany this summer. They also hope to take other teaching opportunities overseas, if possible. So while the full-time teaching jobs here may be ending for the Duecks, they still plan to be involved in the profession that they seem to truly enjoy.

Hal also plans to go into business with his son, working on a database system. "He needs some help getting organized, " Dueck says.

Bernice doesn't seem to be too worried about the abundance of free time.

Dueck remembers that one of the most shocking things during his career occurred about eight years ago, when he had the daughter of a former student in his class for the first time. He said that really made him reflect on the time invested in front of the chalkboard.

"It gave me a strong sense of community, " says Dueck. Now he says it's a pretty common occurrence to have a second-generation student in his class.

As he looks back on the time invested in Saratoga High, he says he considers himself lucky. "I've been fortunate in teaching at Saratoga. The students are motivated, and good students allow one to teach, rather than worry about other things. "

But that motivation also sometimes concerns Dueck.

"The competition [to get into college] is keener. Students are motivated to be more consistent. The kids are growing up too fast when they load themselves with difficult courses, " Dueck says.

Dueck says he likes to introduce some of the personal aspects of his life into a very analytical subject like math. "I'm also here to prepare them for life."

"He's just a really good teacher," Saratoga junior Jennifer Lin says.

It is Dueck's personal style of teaching that has made math one of Lin's favorite subjects. She says Dueck is one of the fairest teachers she's ever had and that he's always willing to lend a helping hand if he sees a student struggling.

"He likes to talk about investments, and he tells us that we could be millionaires if we started saving now instead of buying a car which will only decrease in value, " Lin says, with a laugh. "I think all the students will miss him. He's really fun."

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