“Before this, I worked at Safeway,” says Forest Hill Elementary School teacher David May. “I always loved working with the public, but the children were the best part of the job.”
May worked at Safeway while his wife went back to school to get her bachelor degree. He had always wanted to be a teacher, but back then it was the end of the baby boom and schools were being shut down, so instead, he took a job at the grocery chain.
Fast forward to today. May went back to school and received his teaching credentials and for the last 19 years has been teaching at Forest Hill Elementary School.
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“For 19 years I’ve absolutely loved my job, my kids and families,” May says. “We have such a great community here.”
On Oct. 28, that community surprised May with a visit from the San Francisco 49ers and an award naming him a Hero in the Classroom.
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“I was really excited,” he says.
Symetra Heroes in the Classroom presented by Wells Fargo is a community program that recognizes 16 teachers in the Bay Area for outstanding leadership and instructional skills during the 49ers season. Nominees must be a K-12 teacher at a Bay Area school and the selection process is based on the teacher’s ability to: balance curriculum with students' individual needs, build trust among students, parents and the community and invest in his/her students' long-term success.
“I’ve always been a hero to my kids here,” he says. “I was really honored and touched that she [Kris Anderson, school clerk] would nominate me. It really meant something that they nominated me and that the 49ers bought into that.”
The fourth and fifth grade teacher is a fan of the local football franchise, always has been, but hasn’t been able to go out and see the real deal live.
“I had season tickets for two years while I was at Safeway and I worked every Sunday, so I gave my tickets away,” May says. “I went to one game in two years.”
But as a recipient of the “Heroes” award, May will receive two tickets to a 49ers regular season game, in-game video board recognition and pre-game VIP sideline experience as well as a $1,000 donation to his classroom.
“Our community here is incredible,” May says. “We’ve worked very hard but had a lot of fun.”
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