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Josh Valle '89

Josh Valle '89 doesn't consider himself a "Renaissance man" or even a role model. He's just doing what he loves—teaching very young children.

That he's a man working in a traditionally female environment doesn't phase him at all. Sipping a steaming mug of tea at the miniature-sized kitchen table in his classroom's "house corner," he is clearly in his element—a "Gulliver" surrounded by 16 playful imps.

Josh arrived at Friends in Kindergarten and stayed through graduation. He went on to Brown University, graduating in 1993 with a B.A. in comparative philosophy and religious studies. He credits his interest in Eastern theology to his experiences during Upper School Meeting for Worship. "I enjoyed Meeting for Worship. It was a very powerful experience," he says. "The affinities between Quakerism and the Eastern practices became comfortable to me."

After college, Josh returned to Friends to work in the Pre-Primary Extended Day program, saving his money for a solo trip to Asia, where he spent four months traveling through India, Nepal and Singapore. Upon his return, he moved to California. There, he met his wife Mary, a freelance writer, and applied to UCLA for a master's degree in education.

The decision to teach was a natural one for Josh. "It's the only job I've had that was fulfilling and enjoyable," he says, adding, "I even worked in the Pre-Primary extended day program back when I was in high school."

As a grad student, Josh taught Kindergarten at a central Los Angeles public school, working primarily with low-income African-American and Latino children, many of whom did not speak English as a native language and had no male role model at home. "It was a very good experience, but intense," he explains. "Working with ESL children hones a lot of your teaching skills. You must be very direct." The fact that so many children were from transitory families was also difficult. "I would pour my heart into a kid for weeks, and then one morning I'd get a pink slip telling me the family had relocated. This happened frequently."

Upon completing his master's degree, Josh and Mary relocated to Baltimore, where an unexpected associate teaching position occurred mid-year in Friends' Pre-Primary. Josh spent the next two years teaching First Grade at Friends. When the Pre-K head teacher position opened in 2001, he jumped at the opportunity. "The pace of the day here [in the Pre-Primary building] is less structured. Some teachers prefer more structure, but I'm independently motivated and do very well in that kind of situation," he explains. "I enjoy the flexibility and having the kids more of the time. You get to know them better.”

In the adjoining room, music class with the ebullient Mr. Yutzy dissolves into a fit of giggles and shrieks. The children slowly filter in, jackets in hand, ready for recess. A few approach us, needing help with snaps and zippers. Josh zips one little girl's coat and gently coaxes another child to use the restroom before heading outdoors. He is completely relaxed around these children, and they sense this, making what could be a frenetic transition occur seamlessly.

"It's so much fun. And it's so much about that personal relationship with the kids. That's at the heart of all teaching, but here it's reduced to its essence. I'm just trying to help them become whole people.

"Plus, I get to play a lot."