Former Head of Engineering for the Democratic National Committee and parent of a Berkeley High sophomore, Peter Seibel, joined BSV this school year after semi-retiring from his field and looking for ways to lend his skills and experience. He reached out to the Computer Science team at Berkeley High and found a place in an International Baccalaureate (IB) Computer Science class. Peter volunteers in this 2 year Junior & Senior class daily, where his role varies day to day between helping the struggling students to pushing the advanced students who need an extra challenge. Given his collaborative partnership with host teacher Matt Albinson, he has been able to contribute to project ideas and feels his expertise is going to good use. Through his volunteering, he is reminded that learning computer science is an excellent way to develop a growth mindset – you will certainly struggle, but there is strength to that!
While he certainly looks forward to the day where he is able to see student faces fully, he is warmed by how students still manage to work well together in group projects during Hack Weeks when the students have to work in teams to build something fun. Peter’s experience has been so positive that he is considering getting credentialed as a Computer Science teacher. Until then, he looks to hopefully volunteer in more CS classrooms varying different levels of proficiency in the future!
Thank you for your service, Peter!