Retiring Professors

 

As the last weeks of the spring semester approaches students prepare for final exams and summer plans, but for some professors the end of this semester it will mark the end to their teaching career.

Jack Sterk a Professor of Speech will be one of these instructors retiring after this semester. Sterk who has been teaching for 40 years with teaching stops at Los Angeles Valley College and for the last five years here at Pierce College.

“I love the classroom. I still love the classroom,” Sterk said “I am not retiring because I am burnt out I am retiring because economically I am paying to stay full-time I have reached a stage because I started so young I am going to earn more in retirement on a full-time basses then I would staying,” Sterk added.

Sterk graduated from James Monroe High School in 1965, and has called the San Fernando Valley home almost all his life except where he spent a few years in Wisconsin before returning back to California.

On upon graduating from high school Sterk attended California State Northridge which back then when he attended was called San Fernando Valley State College and majoring in Speech.  Soon after he obtain his first job at age 24 where he was the coach of the debate team at Valley College where he held that position for 10 years.

 ”Every time I walkout of a class, Every time I finish a semester I ask myself Jack how did you do and some days I say you know what you did a good job and there are days were I say Jack you need to do better …, but I have never once in my 40 years of teaching not gone into a classroom and given it my best,” Sterk said.

In addition to Sterk another instructor that will be retiring is Kathleen Reiter-Vasquez Child Development Center Director and has spent the last 36 years here at Pierce College.

“I am very thankful she (Vasquez) gave me the opportunity to begin my career in child development,” said Maribel Beteta a substitute teacher at The Child Development Center. “Every time I would see her she was thinking about how she can help The Child Development Center whether it was planning field trips or activities.”

Along with Vasquez instructor Martie Leroy Lead Teacher of Child Development Center and has been teaching for nearly 25 years and the last 10 years at Pierce. Leroy started by going to Los Angeles Valley College where she soon transferred to California State University Los Angeles while majoring in Child Development Studies.

“When a parent would tell me at the end of the school year or would return at some later point to tell me how much I meant in the life of their child,” said Martie as a long lasting memory she will carry after her retirement.

“Teacher Martie and I have worked together for 10 years,” said Peggy David another of the Lead Teachers of Child Development Center.

“She is a mom to the mothers,” said David “From Martie I have learned even though sometimes there are things you are not happy doing like paper work and a lot of other things that get in the way she helps me focus on the children because the children are the most important part of our job.”

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