After 23 years at Alisal, math teacher Gary Golub is saying farewell to the fun, decorated walls that make up his classroom and inviting in a retirement full of spending time with family, travel, and word games. The 2025-2026 academic year marks his last year as a teacher, after dedicating 40 years to teaching the language of mathematics. 

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Golub first attended the University at Buffalo. There, he received his undergraduate in Economics and met his wife. Golub decided to major in Economics because of its math components and because it was something he could easily get a degree in. “When I was a high schooler, or a junior high schooler,” he said. “I liked math and Spanish, and you got to admit, they’re both kind of, like languages.” 

After graduating from the University at Buffalo, Golub met with a vocational counselor to gain direction onto the right career path. “They [vocational counselors] gave me these interest surveys, like you check these things that you’re interested in,” he said. “It had questions to determine what you’re good at. Then I guess they fed the whole thing through a computer and one of the jobs that popped up was math teacher. And I was like, ‘Oh math teacher, that sounds pretty good’.” 

A long way from home, Golub began teaching in Houston, Texas. The great necessity for teachers in Texas following the oil bust, facilitated Golub’s search for a teaching position. “They really needed teachers,” he said. “So I flew down to Houston, and I got a job in like, less than a half hour.”

He taught in Houston for thirteen years and only left after his wife was offered a job in Hiroshima, Japan. The Golub family lived there for four years.

Golub retired his math skills while in Japan and opted to teach conversational English to adults. “So [it’s] like five or six adults and we’re just chatting,” he said. “And they paid me, so it was kind of fun.”

Golub also performed at wedding ceremonies as a part time job. “I’m not a preacher or anything,” he said. “They just wanted somebody who looked like me.” Golub admits that being a teacher definitely helped him land the job. “Teachers were so highly respected there,” he said. 

After four years abroad, Golub’s and his wife’s jobs were still waiting for them back in the United States. There was just one issue. “My wife said, ‘I don’t want to go back to Houston. It’s so humid and they have fire ants’.” 

So before moving back home, Golub interviewed with the principal of North High and he was going to be hired. However, the student population fell and the position disappeared because there wasn’t a need. The principal at North High referred Golub to the principal at Alisal, Candy McCarthy, and she reached out to him. “The principal wrote me an email,” he said. “I didn’t even speak to the principal.” Golub began teaching at Alisal in 2003. 

Golub has taught almost every type of math besides AP Statistics and Calculus. In his time here, he has taught Transition to College Level Mathematics (TCLM) for the last seven years,  Math 2, and recently took over a Math 3 class. Golub replaced a long term substitute teacher that was covering for another teacher for the Math 3 class. “This year, she decided to go into a different line of work,” he said. “I think she wants to go into nursing. So she substituted for several months until her nursing career started.” 

Having been a teacher for so long, Golub notes the difference between his past students and his current ones. A lack of motivation among his students, being one of the biggest differences he’s witnessed. “One thing I try to do, especially with students that might seem unmotivated,” he said. “I just try to show some enthusiasm, just be spirited.” 

Despite the struggles teaching has posed, the two decades Golub has spent dedicated to his work are a testament to how much he’s enjoyed teaching at Alisal. “Some of the things I love about Alisal are the community and the school spirit,” he said. “Green. I’m wearing green everyday.” 

In his retirement, Golub plans on spending more time with family and exploring the world. A big fan of Wordle and other word games, he is also looking forward to having more time to dedicate to playing games. As far as hobbies go, Golub is open to trying new things and getting back into old hobbies he used to enjoy. “I’ve been the announcer for basketball games,” he said. “We’ll see how things go.” 

With the closing of a new chapter, comes the beginning of a new era. An era that gets to be defined by whatever Golub wishes it to be. While he has enjoyed his time as a teacher, it’s time for a change of scenery. “I feel fortunate that I’ve been able to create an enjoyable math experience for students,” he said.