About Me

My name is Mr. Slater, and this is my 11th year teaching and my 7th year teaching in San Jose (but first at Del Mar).  I live in Menlo Park with my wife Maya (a professor at Stanford), our 7-year-old daughter Nadia who is starting 2nd grade later this month, our 3-year-old  son Timmy who roams around our house making huge messes but getting away with it because he’s the cute little brother, and our cat Guava who is patient through all the chaos. 

I grew up in San Francisco and earned my bachelor’s degree (and met my future wife!) at the University of California-Berkeley.  Along with playing with my daughter and cat, I am a big sports fan who loves the Warriors, Giants, and 49ers. I like to play sports too, especially basketball, football, baseball, and soccer.  Along with sports, I like music (some kinds), movies (some kinds), and I really enjoy eating good food (most kinds)! Another thing about me is my family is Jewish; my great-grandparents were refugees from Russia 100 years ago. Before teaching at Alpha, we lived for five years in New York City, where I taught high school students in history. I also worked as investigator of police misconduct. In Santa Barbara, I taught World History and AVID as a 7th grade teacher for four years.  

My goal is to teach history so you aren’t just memorizing facts and dates, but to use this history class to better understand America in 2023.

I look forward to getting to know you and helping you learn and get a good grade in this class. Here’s a guide!

HOW TO SUCCEED IN CLASS

1. Do your homework completely! It is very hard to succeed in this class if you don’t. If something is hard, look it up, ask classmates for help, and prepare questions.
2. Be Ready to Learn: Make sure you come to class prepared. This means you will need your materials (binder, notebook, pen/pencil, planner, assignments due) and a proper mindset for class each day.
3. Stay Organized: it is your responsibility to know due dates, test dates, and to keep your notes and binders organized.
4. Check Your Grade: Make sure to check your grade weekly online and to see me during office hours if you see any discrepancies.
5. Great Attendance: Being in class, and being present in class, will help you succeed. Making up missed days will be difficult.
6. Commit: Take ownership of your learning. If you need more help, extra time to work on something, clarification; come see me during lunch or Advisory. Reaching out to your classmates can be beneficial - but it is up to you to ask for help. 
7. Follow Classroom Rules: I expect all students to follow classroom rules, so we can all learn.
8. Parental/Guardian Involvement: Share what you have learned with them and have them ask you questions about what you are learning. I will be in contact with your parents on your progress in this course. 

I will be here after class most days and can be reached by email at [email protected].

Sincerely,

Andrew Slater