When Armijo High School needed a teacher for the welding class, they knew just what to do. They offered the position to Mr. Harry Toebe and he accepted it. That was two years ago, and although his permanent address is actually in Nevada, Mr. Toebe has continued to enjoy teaching on the Armijo campus here in California.

Before becoming a welding teacher, he earned his paycheck in a variety of ways: he worked in machining and welding, he was a business owner and he had many other jobs when he was younger. He spent his high school years in Reno and went to college at Sac State, UC Davis and San Jose State. He also took several online courses. Before teaching at Armijo, he taught at Silver State Academy (an all-boys group living facility), Western Nevada College and FSAS (Fairfield-Suisun Adult School).  

While he enjoys teaching, he would encourage future teachers to wait before jumping into the career. “Go into the private sector first to get some experience, then enter teaching,” he said. “You’ll appreciate your teaching environment more.” He did, however, add that a change in the general attitude of the students and faculty at Armijo would have a positive effect overall.

“My greatest influence came from my elementary teacher Ms. Evelyn Ury,” he said. “She always told me to try.”