Focus on an Educator
By Geyer, Pat
Looking out from my window on the train, I mused about the endless rows of houses. It was like a picture of history – newer subdivisions with large, ranch-style homes, older subdivisions of small, two bedroom homes with one-car garages, and finally some Victorians near the LA station. My gaze turned to the papers on my lap and the task at hand. How to write an article to make sense of another type of history – the history of a friend’s career, which was so outstanding in so many different ways? Should it be his work in curriculum with the publication of the California Concepts? Should it be his dedication to CCSS over the span of some 30 years? Should it be his service to his church? His union organization? His family and family history? His love and study of music? What was the theme, which tied this all together?
He grew up in Van Nuys, California and graduated from Van Nuys High School. He was president of the Philharmonic Club – kids listening to classical music during lunch one day a week. He was active in the youth fellowship and Hi-Y club of his church. But his most honorific accomplishment was being chosen one of twelve Ephebians out of his graduating class of 450. (Ephebian is Greek for “young citizen”-a person of civic virtue-and the Ephebian Society was a tradition in the Los Angeles City high schools.) The challenge given to Ephebians was to “leave this city a greater, better, and more beautiful place than you found it.” After high school, he moved out of Van Nuys-and out of the city of Los Angeles-but he never forgot the Ephebian challenge.
He attended Whittier College from 1950-1955. He had always wanted to teach history and he enrolled as a social studies major. During the first year, however, he was enthralled by the courses of Dr. William Dale, a truly great teacher in the Whittier College Music Department. He decided to major in music and teach music history and theory at the college level. But he did elect to stay a fifth year and earn a General Secondary Teaching Credential. His other and more considerable accomplishment while at Whittier was to meet and marry his wife, Betty.
Graduating from college, he was confronted by the draft for the Korean War. Registering as a conscientious objector, he was able to find two public service positions in the Los Angeles area. So from 1955-56 he taught at the Spanish-American Institute in Gardena, and from 1956-57 he was the, Director of Teenage Programs at Toberman Settlement House in San Pedro. Both of these positions gave him experience working with minorities and troubled teens.
After fulfilling his civilian service, he moved his family back to Whittier and accepted a job teaching social science at nearby Norwalk High School. During his first years of teaching, he did earn a Master of Arts in music at Long Beach State University. Finishing the degree in 1961, he applied for positions in the music departments in community colleges throughout California, but found that requirements had changed and PhD degrees were now required for such positions. He decided to return to his first calling and devoted himself to his social studies teaching, although he did teach music appreciation part-time at the local community college and has continued to compose at various times during his life. He and Betty have been subscribers to the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra for over 30 years.
During the 36 years of his career at Norwalk High School he taught all of the history/social science courses in addition to Driver Training, Leadership, Fine Arts, Music and Art Appreciation, and Girls Chorus. During most of those years he served as chair of the Norwalk H.S. Social Science Department. He also served as High School Faculty Club president for two years, as the school’s accreditation committee chair or coordinator through six WASC accreditations, as advisor to the student government for eight years, as a mentor teacher for six years and as a member or chair of the Norwalk-La Mirada School District’s various curriculum committees from 1972 until retirement in 1991. Certainly, teaching has been the centerpiece of his life, but is that the defining theme of his life? Or is there more?
Of course he joined the Teachers Association of Norwalk-La Mirada Area (TANLA). In 1967 he served on the TANLA Representative Council, then the negotiating team and then the Board of Directors. He was President of TANLA from 1970-71. He also was a member of the CTA Southern Section Council (1969-71), the NEA Assembly (1969-70), and attended CTA Good Teaching Conferences.
At the urging of his friends from CTA and the local teacher’s association he decided to run for the governing board of the South Whittier School District (K-8) in 1973, only to have the teacher’s association decide at the last minute not to endorse any of the seven candidates. He was left to organize his own campaign. He handed out postcards with his picture and campaign message on one side. Friends and supporters were requested to add a short message of their own to the card and mail it to a friend. The campaign was very successful-only the incumbent board president received more votes. He served on the South Whittier School District Governing Board until 1985, just over 12 years, during which he served twice as board president. Is this his defining theme? President?
His first term on the South Whittier board was a steep learning curve, but he worked with an outstanding superintendent, Dr. Stuart Gothold, who later went on the serve as the superintendent of the Los Angeles County Office of Education. His second term (with Gothold having moved on) was a very difficult experience with a divided and power-hungry board and weak administrative leadership. He was instrumental in hiring a new and experienced superintendent at the end of his second term, and thought he should stay on the board another term to repair some of the damage done by the divided board. The no-nonsense third superintendent whipped the board and the district back into shape, and our man was able to retire at the end of that third term. He says that he does not regret serving on the school board, but that he was never in his life so glad to leave a position.
When asked about leadership, he responded that a good leader, no matter what his position, is able to see the whole picture. Then first and foremost, he gets the job done. Next he is able to successfully respond to challenges and finally he can see the possibilities for change. His leadership skills were honed and tested by his service on the South Whittier board. Would he be using these leadership skills again?
Early in his teaching career he joined CCSS (California Council for the Social Studies). He remembered a CCSS Conference in Fresno and a conference in San Francisco. But he wasn’t really involved until he attended the Stanford Social Studies Implementation Workshop in July, 1981, a remarkable gathering which brought together about 40 social studies educators across the state. The director was Dr. Richard Gross, Professor of Education at Stanford, who planned to bring social studies teachers and leaders together to review the new 1981 Framework and plan implementation. From this workshop came many future CCSS leaders – Shirley Mead-Mezzetta, Carol Marquis, Gloria Ballard, Jim Fletcher, Pat Geyer, and our teacher from South Whittier. I remember meeting him for the first time when he and Bill Lawson from Whittier came walking toward me from the Student Union. He was a tall, trim someone from somewhere in Southern California.
The Stanford Workshop marked the beginning of his extensive commitment to CCSS. Beginning in 1981, he became chair of the southern CCSS Curriculum and Instruction Committee. He joined the Executive Committee the next year, and held numerous elected offices, becoming CCSS President in 1986-87. During the 1980s he presented at all CCSS Conferences, planned and held workshops titled, “Focus on the Framework” for the LA County Office of Education, and represented CCSS in the House of Delegates at the NCSS (National Council for the Social Studies) conventions. The major responsibility of leadership in CCSS was the president elect’s position as chair of the CCSS Conference. During those years, the conference chair actually signed the contract for the chosen hotel (LA Airport Hilton in 1986). He also had to find someone to layout and publish the conference program and brochure, as well as handling all the duties of conference chairs today. His 1986, Silver Jubilee Conference featured sessions on the 1987 Framework, a luncheon with Dr. Graff as speaker, and a conference banquet featuring Congressman Mel Levine. Many of the participants in the 1986 Conference Organizing Committee are active in CCSS today, including Dick and Judy Kraft, Jackie Purdy, and Darlene Huitema. It was a successful conference, and he justly enjoyed his year as CCSS President.
In 1988 he accepted another challenge when Bill Smiley resigned as editor of Sunburst. Our man became the new editor, a position he continued to hold until 2005. Before 1988, Sunburst was a very different publication from what we know today; it was the size of a newspaper and was laid out \by the printer. The new editor changed Sunburst to the magazine format that it has today. He also eventually added color, graphics, and sidebars. He had to learn the PageMaker desktop publishing program in the process of publishing his first issue. Eventually Sunburst became fully digitized, with each issue going to the printer on a compact disk.
Some of the content innovations in Sunburst that he is proud of are the editorials which he wrote on a wide variety of subjects, including curriculum innovations, state mandates, academic freedom, how to teach various current and controversial issues, teaching about religion, the true meaning of “social studies,” abuses of the standards movement, and questioning what he considered the “testing mania.” He invented “Class Acts” lesson plans on social studies topics for elementary, middle, and high school. He named the president’s column the “Bully Pulpit” (Teddy Roosevelt’s description of the presidency) and encouraged thoughtful background articles. He was never very enthusiastic about ads. Sunburst grew fatter and more varied during his editorship.
He is also proud of his editorship of two editions (1989 and 1999) of the CCSS publication, The California Concepts Collection, which have been reprinted several times and are used widely in teacher preparation courses. He feels that this publication, along with his many conference presentations on the importance of concepts in social studies may be his most enduring contribution to the field. Should his many editorials, articles, and writings become his defining theme? Were they the significant legacy?
His most recent role in CCSS has been as a member of the Restructuring Committee. Many CCSS leaders were deeply concerned that the structure of CCSS was handicapping its growth and vitality. During the presidency of Reuben Zepeda, this became a priority of the Council. President Wendell Brooks organized a task force of past presidents: Our man was appointed along with Shirley Mead-Mezzetta, Marvin Awbrey, Pat Geyer and Reuben Zepeda. Reuben led the Task Force and had the vision of changing the CCSS Board from a large and unwieldy group of educators who were willing to “show up” at Board meetings to a group of elected representatives from each area.
The Task Force continued to meet over the next five plus years, and our man was responsible for crafting the ideas on reorganization into bylaws and standing rules. He put together a decision-making matrix of the organization with a calendar of duties. It was these writings that made the changes possible and gave the CCSS Executive Committee and Board of Directors specific proposals to vote upon. Gradually changes took place. The CCSS Board of Directors has taken on more leadership, and the Executive Committee has become responsible for carrying out the directives.
Today, he continues to teach his United States History class at the Norwalk Adult School. He also serves as the Region 7 Coordinator for the We the People…Citizen and Constitution program. He remains very active in his church. During the last summer, he, his wife, Betty, and a grandson took a trip to research family history. This more recent hobby has led him to become president of the Whittier Area Genealogy Society.
So what defines John Hergesheimer’s life? Is it the fact of being president of many different organizations? Or is it something more, like being able to work with many different people, or like being able successfully to get the job done or-most importantly-having the vision to see and realize the possibilities of change? John, you truly have made a difference. You have always shouldered the work, you have been a positive motivation for change, and finally, you continue to give leadership to your school and church and to your community.
John, you have answered the call of the Van Nuys High School Ephebian Society. You have made the world a greater, better, and more beautiful place.
Pat Geyer has served in a number of key leadership roles in CCSS, including President and serving on the Board. She has actively been involved in the Publications Committee where she provided guidance for the Social Studies Review, the Sunburst and our web site. Pat currently is retired from teaching and lives in the Sacramento area where she continues to write the “Educator Highlight Review” column for this journal.
Copyright California Council for the Social Studies Spring 2007
(c) 2007 Social Studies Review. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.