John Polli works as a math teacher at Oakmont High School, and shared his journey on how he became a math teacher.

Before Mr. Polli became a teacher, he went to three different colleges on both sides of the United States.

“I went to community college,  New York State University, and Cal State Hayward for my teaching credential and my business credential,” Polli said.

Polli loved his time spent at the colleges he attended, but he did have a favorite.

“The State University in New York [was my favorite],” Polli said. “[I] made a lot of good friends.”

He liked majoring in business and did not think that he would want to do anything different.

“[I] enjoyed the research and product development aspect in a company,” Polli said. “As a young man I was full of uncertainty but then I learned your gift will make room for itself. With the gift of gab sales was the answer.” 

After Mr. Polli graduated from college, he became an elementary school teacher for eight years. He then went on to teach math at a high school level.

“Well, it ended up that it was the most units I had,” Polli said. “So I thought, you know what, let’s just take the simple road.”

When Polli was in school, he had not always been good at math.

“In high school I didn’t put forth the effort necessary on a continual basis,” Polli said. “Therefore, my grade didn’t really reflect my true aptitude.”

The exchange of interest between Polli and teaching math is remarkable. He does not regret the decision of becoming a math teacher.