Physics teacher Dave Haggerty is currently entering his 22nd year of teaching. Over the years he has been able to make a tremendous impact on both students and staff members at Dos Pueblos High School.
His journey into teaching was foreseen by his mother, who noticed his innate teaching qualities during his younger years.
“When I was young, I used to teach my younger sister stuff,” Haggerty said. “My mom always thought I’d be a teacher. I didn’t know that until later, but when I became a teacher, she told me that she wasn’t surprised because she always felt like I was…going to be a teacher.”
His appreciation for physics was also rooted in his childhood and he enjoyed the subject for particular reasons.
“I like how in physics, there are correct answers,” Haggerty said. “It’s kind of a fun challenge to figure out what those answers are. Definitive…It’s a good way to say.”
His appreciation for physics took him to San Jose University. However, his path took an unexpected turn during college and grad school when he found joy in teaching college classes. This shift led him to change course and pursue a career in education.
“I was gonna get my Ph.D. in physics and be a scientist,” Haggerty said. “But during college and grad school, I was teaching college classes and enjoying it. So I decided to change pathways into teaching.”
Transitioning from his Ph.D. program to earning a teaching credential, Haggerty taught in San Jose, his hometown, for five years before making the move to Dos Pueblos High School.
“I switched out of the Ph.D. program and got my teaching credential and then I started teaching up in San Jose, which was my old high school, where I went to high school,” Haggerty said. “I taught there for five years…and so I got a job at DP and moved down here.
Outside of teaching, Haggerty partakes in a number of hobbies, including spending time with family, and helping out with the youth, and used to have more hobbies before.
“I like spending time with my boys, my family cooking, and I used to be more active with outdoor stuff like camping but not as much anymore,” Haggerty said. “I do a lot of volunteer work with youth soccer…I used to be pretty athletic as a baseball player and soccer player in high school.”
The teaching year of COVID-19 brought challenges as students transitioned back to school. Despite the difficulties, Haggerty found a sense of reward in playing his part to alleviate the impact of the pandemic
“I guess COVID came along and made teaching really challenging, like even more challenging than ever,” Haggerty said. “So that’s been a lot of a lot of work, but in some ways rewarding. I felt like I could do my part to try to make COVID Less bad for people.”
Haggerty expresses a self-reflection over his 22 years at DPHS and having a sense of community in the town.
“I just really enjoy working with the students,” Haggerty said. “I like feeling like a part of the community, the Goleta community.”
