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Published on: 6/10/2004
Last Visited: 6/10/2004
Joe Gotchy was dressed much differently for his retirement celebration than for his job interview with Federal Way Public Schools 30 years ago. Gotchy was working for Associated Grocers when he learned the school district wanted to interview him for a teaching position at Thomas Jefferson High School in 1974.He didn't have time to clean up from working in the produce warehouse to make the appointment.The school officials didn't care that he showed up with several days beard growth, ripped jeans and matted hair.They saw a teacher they wanted to hire. Standing last Thursday in front of a crowd of fellow retirees, family and friends, Gotchy -- wearing a tie, pressed white shirt and clean-shaven -- said that interview taught him something important about the district and defined for him what it meant to be a teacher. How a student looks ("I've taught kids with four-foot mohawks") or what they wear doesn't matter.They all have promise and abilities, he said, his voice cracking with emotion. He has not been teaching this past year.He's been recuperating from a sudden emotional and physical "collapse" he had last summer. "My doctor said I was basically out of gas.There was nothing left in my tank," he said. Listening to Gotchy's schedule up to that time can make one wonder why it didn't happen sooner. Gotchy is a member of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, a certification developed by teachers to recognize those in the profession who have mastered teaching skills. In 2001, he estimated he logged more than 300,000 miles traveling across the country as a representative of the board.He also spent time in China and South Korea on learning exchanges. He was a member of several boards and studies aimed at improving education and helping teachers professionally throughout his career. All of this activity outside of the classroom stems from Gotchy's belief that teachers should learn firsthand about what they are teaching to make their lessons more applicable and exciting for students. And that attitude was evident in the school district when Gotchy was hired and assigned to develop the Moorage program for students academically at risk.The program helped them focus on their schoolwork and strengthen their self-esteem. He also co-founded the Raiderslink program at Jefferson, an interdisciplinary program that provides certain students with laptop computers to assist in integrating their courses.It won a national excellence award in 1998 from the Smithsonian Institution. Bruce Case, a teacher in Jefferson's business department, collaborated with Gotchy on Raiderslink.
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Gotchy provided the curriculum for the classes and Case brought the technology so the students could learn from their classes simultaneously.
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Case, a teacher at Jefferson for 20 years, said Gotchy is passionate and enthusiastic about his students and classes.
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Gotchy (pronounced Go-chee) grew up in Fife and graduated from Fife High School.He was interested in teaching in Federal Way because it was close to family and friends.He met his wife, then Margaret Matsuda, a foreign language teacher, at Jefferson. They remained in Federal Way, and the community that was close to his hometown became his home.The Gotchys raised two children.One, daughter Lauren, graduates this month from the University of Washington and will enter the university's law program this fall.The second, son Kyle, is a freshman at Whitman College. Gotchy made many friends while working in Federal Way.Merlin Epp, a retired Federal Way High School teacher, remembers taking students with Gotchy to Washington, D.C. and teaching on the steps of the Capital and Supreme Court to show students the origins of the United States government.
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Gotchy walked down the side of the hall and convinced a guard to let the teachers inside.
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"That is the kind of man Joe Gotchy is," Epp said.
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Gotchy said the school district has changed in the 30 years he has been there.The early 1970s were an ugly time, with several failed levies and staff at all levels being laid off to save the budget.He spent five months in Sumner teaching middle school students after being let go by Federal Way one of those years.He was hired back when the Moorage program was initiated. Federal Way also changed, and Gotchy saw that in the classroom as a palette of ethnic groups and immigrants from around the world entered his classroom as students. "That's been a joy," he said of the changes. And like many teachers, it's the students that kept Gotchy interested in teaching. "I've always loved the classroom -- the growth in the classroom of the students," he said. For a time, he thought about leaving teaching to become an administrator and had enrolled in university classes so he could qualify.His friends asked him to reconsider, and Gotchy agreed leaving the classroom wasn't in his heart. While he hasn't been teaching lately, Gotchy hasn't been sitting around.A number of projects occupy his time, including the development of small-enrollment middle schools in New York City and Charleston, N.C. In those schools, students from low-income families will get more personal attention from teachers and learn Chinese as part of an Asia Society grant.He also works with the department of education, facilitating committee meetings and reviewing curriculum for an arts council. He has also taken time to reflect on his profession and personal experiences. "In my mind's eye, I always envisioned my last year of teaching as being my best year ever, sort of a final performance to see if I had learned anything about the science and art of teaching," Gotchy wrote in an e-mail.
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