In 2008, Barack Obama was elected president, “Love Story” by Taylor Swift was on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles of the year, and science teacher Teddy Mefford was graduating from PHS.
Now in 2019, Mefford returns after a decade to teach science at PHS and MHS.
“I probably wouldn’t teach at any other public school,” Mefford said. “I really don’t enjoy dealing with too much behavioral stuff.”
In High School, Mefford had many teachers that are still teaching now, like math teacher John Hayden and science teacher Tom Huffaker.
“I just kind of pop in on [my old teachers] now and then,” Mefford said. “I still feel in between the students and the teachers.”
The biggest change between when Mefford was at PHS and now is the use of technology, Mefford said.
“[There] wasn’t so much of an issue with attention,” Mefford said. “We didn’t have individual computers.”
However, the culture and demographic of the school doesn’t seem to have changed, Mefford said. 
“[The culture] seems similar,” Mefford said. “Students were maybe a little bit more misbehaved when I was [at PHS].”
Between high school and now, Mefford received a physics and math bachelors degree from Santa Clara University and then received a masters degree in physics from the University of Maryland, Mefford said.
“I chose physics out of any other science just because it is the most fundamental,” Mefford said. “It’s the subject that without getting a formal education, it would be the hardest to teach myself.”
Mefford is very passionate about teaching, junior Kylie Hamli said.
“He knows what he is talking about,” Halmi said. “It’s pretty interesting because he will go on these tangents and keep talking about these cool physics ideas.”
Sophomore Claire Lichty agrees. For the two weeks that Mefford taught for her physics class until administration found a permanent teacher, he was very laid back, she said.
“He was a really chill dude,” Lichty said. “He really connected with a lot of the kids.”
Mefford’s favorite part of teaching is when he can tell his students are engaged and are enjoying learning, he said.
“It’s almost like a performance when you are up there presenting something,” Mefford said. “When you do a good job, and [the students] are actually learning, that’s my favorite part.”
Mefford is currently filling in for science teacher Sarah Plowman, so next year he will be looking for jobs in the city, Mefford said.
“I’d still love to become a professor,” Mefford said. “But, it’s not a direct route anymore.”
