Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Martin Mathiesen, left, age 89, his grandson Michael, center, and son, Marty, are three generations of teachers living in Sunnyvale. Martin taught for 40 years in the Fremont High School District and is a member of Sons in Retirement. Marty has been teaching physics at Cupertino High School since 1983, and Michael is a student-teacher at Fremont High School.
The Dynasty continues
Three generations have taught in school district
By Darienne J. Hosley
Michael Mathiesen is just 22, but he walks into a classroom armed with much more than most new teachers his age.
He is a third-generation educator, bringing with him some of the wisdom gleaned from his father and grandfather in their combined 75-plus years in California schools.
Even more remarkable is that all three graduated from and then taught in schools now part of the Fremont Union High School District.
"It's fun to feel this legacy," said Michael, a student teacher in social studies at Fremont High School.
He graduated five years ago from Cupertino High School, where his father, Marty Mathiesen, has taught physics since 1965.
Marty, 61, graduated from Fremont High School in 1957. His father, Martin, was a member of the very first class to graduate from that school in 1929, and went on to become a coach, athletic director, principal and assistant superintendent in the district.
"You don't get rich teaching school, but you enjoy the kids," said Martin, now 89. "That's the thing. Every kid needs love. You might discipline a kid, then give him a pat on the back."
The Mathiesen dynasty began humbly enough. Martin wanted to be a chemist, but began playing basketball at San Jose State College and decided he wanted to be a coach.
Like father, like son--and grandson.
Marty and his brother played on the same Fremont basketball team, coached by their father, in 1953. "That was his last year coaching--he couldn't handle it," he joked. Thirty years later, Marty coached his own son's basketball team and had him as a student in his physics class at Cupertino.
"It was an easy A," Michael said. "No, just kidding. It was made easy because he was a teacher at the school almost all the students like and respect."
Michael, who also hopes to be a coach some day, appreciated having his father around after school and in the summers, and saw the work he did at home. He felt no pressure to follow in his footsteps--three older siblings chose different careers--but decided he would enjoy teaching. "You have an impact," he said.
Michael earned a bachelor's degree in history from Stanford University in 2000, and expects to earn his certification through the Stanford Teacher Education Program in June.
The three men recently went to a wrestling tournament dedicated in honor of Marty Mathiesen. Michael was especially impressed to see his grandfather, who retired in 1974, greeting nearly everyone there.
"I think it's a testament to how they treat people fairly and honestly, and people treat them well in return," Michael said.
Marty, too, witnessed firsthand the benefits of a long career in one school system. Stories about his father's high standards for his buildings--teachers couldn't even put nails in the walls--are still told by veterans. But the eldest Mathiesen wouldn't survive as an administrator today, Marty says.
"He would say, 'There's the road,' and the kid would be suspended," he recalled. "Of course, there were more opportunities then. There were lots of jobs where [expelled students] could pick up skills. Those jobs aren't around anymore."
But he's stood by his father's side as some of those same students, years later, thanked him for what he did for them. He also remembers the 1940s, when Japanese Americans came home from internment camps after World War II. Martin Mathiesen encouraged returning students to get involved in athletics, and those students, too, expressed their appreciation for what he did.
"There's joy in helping other people, in doing good for other people," Martin said. "And down the road, the benefits will come back to you."
He's still doing good for others through his work with the California Retired Teachers Association, work which takes him around the state. Marty doesn't share his father's interest in administration, but he also works on behalf of his fellow teachers as a member of their negotiating team, and knows it will be difficult for his son to make a living in Silicon Valley.
"I'd love to be able to stay here," Michael said. "I've grown up here and this is all I know. But I also know the realities of the housing market ... There's a part of the me that has seen the change, the growth, the traffic, and it might be nice to see something else."
When Marty began teaching in the 1960s, his mortgage was two and a half times his salary. Today, a typical mortgage would be 25 times that of his son's salary.
"Things change. The family roots have been here for 90 years. It's been delightful," Marty said, but he'd like his son to be happy, wherever he ends up, and financially comfortable.
"The continuum in the area, from 1920 or so within the schools," Marty concludes. "Having that connection with everyone has made living here very enjoyable."
Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
