Diane Gleason is retiring after working at Gunn for 21 years as a math teacher, and for the past 6 years, as the Speech and Debate mentor. 

During her years at Gunn, Gleason has made many cherishable memories, one of which was teaching AP Calculus after school. “For tutorial time, I had everybody come after school on Monday,” she said. “I’d have 30 kids come every week, and we would sit in the room and do calculus for an hour.”

Before working at Gunn, Gleason worked at a school in San Jose. But when offered a teaching position at either Palo Alto High School or Gunn, she immediately chose Gunn. “I really liked the Gunn way, which for me is really collaborating with other teachers,” she said. 

Applying the “Gunn way” to her own classes, Gleason worked closely with students in order to better fit her material to their needs. “We really try to find a math course that fits the student,” she said. “I really like using that instead of a one-size-fits-all [course], because I don’t think one size does fit all.”

Her time at Gunn as a math teacher also introduced her to many people in the math department. “It’s been super wonderful to work with all my colleagues,” she said. 

Gleason will miss the students in her class in addition to her colleagues. “It was fun to work with students who were so motivated and liked learning,” she said.