Betsy Dickie ’60 is a former teacher and volunteer and now lives in the Bay Area, where she stays active in the community. “It feels like a full-circle moment—one of my granddaughters graduated from M-A last year, and the other is a sophomore,” she said. “It’s really wonderful to still be a part of this town.”
At M-A, Dickie loved to take art classes and spend time with her friends. “The time was very different in many large ways, but even small things like the girls’ hairstyles and the fact that we had an open campus were all different from now,” she said.
“The community felt very welcoming, but there was also a sense of a divide, especially during the 1950s,” Dickie added. “It was much less diverse than it is now.”
After graduating from M-A, Dickie went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Education from California College of the Arts. “College was a more relaxed environment than high school,” she said. “I felt like I could really choose the subjects I wanted to study, which was nice for my future career.”
Following college, Dickie began her teaching career at Roosevelt Junior High in San Jose, which has since closed, and later taught architecture at Borel Middle School in San Mateo.
“I wanted to pursue teaching because it was easy for me to connect with the youth, and it was nice to leave a lasting impression on them,” she said.
At Borel Middle School, Dickie helped change the types of classes girls could take, as well as their dress code. “At the time I was only teaching boys architecture because girls weren’t allowed to take it. The class was amazing and obviously there was no reason girls couldn’t, so I helped speak to administrators about it to make the change for the following year,” she said. “There was also a strict dress code and girls could only wear long dresses below their knees, so in 1969 we made it so that they could also wear pantsuits.”
“I had my classroom open at lunchtime and kids would come in and hang out, so I really got to know them and what they wanted to change in the school,” Dickie added. “It’s nice knowing I had a lasting change there.”
Shortly after meeting her husband, Dickie left the Bay Area to travel around the world with him. “It was a hectic time. We went to some amazing places like Seoul, Korea, Cambodia, and many other destinations,” she said. “When we were in Cambodia, the airport closed just two days after we left because of the Vietnam War—we had no idea what was happening until afterward.”
When Dickie returned to Palo Alto, she worked at the Palo Alto Adults School for fourteen years. “I taught about a hundred seniors a week, anything ranging from arts and crafts to volunteer work,” she said.
“I enjoyed teaching seniors because they are very open and warm individuals, so it was nice to bond with them and teach them,” Dickie added.
Dickie has lived in the Bay Area for many years and continues to be involved in volunteer work around the community.
Dickie’s advice to current M-A students: “Be yourself. High school can be a daunting time but don’t worry about what others think and really pursue what you want to pursue. Don’t put off what you enjoy and what you find interesting, start it now.”
To those interested in teaching: “Teaching is a really challenging yet rewarding job, but make sure you love it before putting your time into so many kids.”
