STEPHANIE LU—EPIC
Before they were teachers: Three teachers and their unconventional occupations BY URMILA VENKATARAMANI STEPHANIE LU—EPIC
During the 1960s, the hippie movement took hold of the nation and English teacher Fritz Torp was no exception. Though he graduated from Claremont McKenna College with a degree in political science, Torp realized that becoming a lawyer was not what he really wanted to do. “It was a time of peace and love and freedom,” said Torp. “And I was kind of a hippie.” Instead, Torp became a roadie for a rock band called Felix, living with them and setting up the equipment for their gigs. By chance, he happened to become the lead
singer for the band and toured with them for a couple of years, doing what he had only dreamed of as a kid. “Everybody wanted to be in a rock band back then, and I got to live that dream,” said Torp. The fun could not last forever, though. The band was not lucrative, and Torp also came to the realization that he could not make a career out of rock and roll, no matter how much he loved it. Even though his rock career did not last, Torp looks back fondly on that time. “I liked everything about being in a band,” said Torp. “I liked the excitement of playing music--I love rock and roll--I loved watching people get up and dance and I loved the applause.” One of Torp’s most memorable experiences was opening for the British rock band The Who. After Felix performed, the speakers announced The Who as the next act. Lead singer Roger Daltrey, who was walking through the room they were waiting in, handed his drink to Torp before leaving to get on stage. “I treated it like the holy grail,” said Torp. “‘Roger Daltrey gave this to me.’ I said. ‘Take a sip, take a sip!’” After leaving the band, Torp had various jobs, ranging from managing a record warehouse to being a real estate agent to selling mutual bonds and life insurance. He still didn’t feel satisfied, however, with what he was doing with his life. After thinking about his retirement plans and discussing options with his wife, Torp began to seriously consider becoming a teacher. Torp worked by day and went back to school to get his teaching credential by night. After working for over a decade at schools in Santa Cruz, he looked toward the FUHSD area for better opportunities. For the past 12 years, Torp has been teaching at Lynbrook. He said, “I felt like with teaching I could [make a difference], which is something I thought was important.”
STEPHANIE LU—EPIC
While English teacher Andrew Seike was a college student, he was also an undercover agent. When he started college, Seike got a job in loss prevention for Macy’s, preventing people from shoplifting and tracking down those who managed to escape. Seike originally took the job because of the money it offered as he was working through college. He did, however, gain valuable experience while on the job, learning things such as multitasking, working with others and withstanding pressure. “It was important to not let your team down,” said Seike. “[The job] reaffirmed this idea of trust in a person, , that you can’t leave someone when they’re in trouble.” On many occasions, Seike had to deal with situations that called for courage and quick thinking. Once, he received an urgent call from his partner notifying him that a suspect was getting away and that Seike needed to be there now. Seike ran out as fast as he could, and saw his partner in front of him chasing the suspect, who was running toward the top of a hill. “We can’t do a takedown alone--I knew I had to be there,” said Seike. “I was afraid he might get into a physical situation over stolen clothing, which is pointless.” All of a sudden, at the top of the hill he saw his part-
Chemistry teacher Jon Penner’s first job fresh out of college came to him through a stroke of luck. After Penner graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in biology, his mother told him to get a job. Penner had asked his friends if they wanted to go to the beach. One of them, however, couldn’t go due to an interview. Penner switched places with that friend and got the job as a waiter at the Rusty Scupper. He was eventually promoted to assistant manager, yet there was something else he wanted to do. “I wanted to do something that meant something, that had an impact on somebody’s life and not just make money and give somebody a good steak,” said Penner. Despite his passion for teaching, Penner does not feel as though his time was wasted. In his early years of teaching, the restaurant job to supported his starting salary. Teaching and working at a restaurant at the same time sometimes led to interesting situations. Once, when Penner was bartending, he wa notified that there were girls in prom dresses trying to buy drinks with fake IDs. He realized that they were students from his biology class. He went over to the table to ask the girls about the IDs. “They said, ‘Yeah, the IDs are real--oh my god, it’s Mr. Penner!’” he said. “I said ‘You sure? I know you well!’” He also values the lessons he learned. “I gained confidence dealing with a lot of different people and working my way into management,” said Penner. ner jump to the left and roll down the hill. Still running at full speed, Seike looked back and saw the suspect pointing a gun at him. Just 10 feet away from the criminal, Seike followed his partner’s lead, dodged to the side and rolled down the hill. When they got back, his boss demanded an explanation. “We told her, ‘We’re not dying for underwear,’” said Seike. Although the job was often difficult, Seike still managed to enjoy himself. There was always something to do. “I would work over eight hours a day at times, and it felt like three,” said Seike. “It was that eventful.” While still in school but years after his loss prevention job, Seike also worked with computers as a technician. He debated switching paths, but his real passion was always literature. “I didn’t think that I’d be a millionaire, but I knew that there was big money in [computers]--safe money,” said Seike. “But can you imagine me sitting in a cubicle all day?”