The Making of a Teacher

By: Malisa Dutson, Jean Kapkanoff

I never would have been a teacher if not for that, said Jay Gurka, 61, seated in his office at Lehman College .

Retired teacher Gurka is the assistant coordinator of College Now, a program in Lehman College . Before his retirement, Gurka was an assistant principal for guidance at Jane Addams High School , a high school on 2373 East 30th Street, where he often worked with students who were taking College Now courses. But his goal in life wasnt even close to becoming a teacher or even being someone who works with kids.

As a graduate student at Long Island University in the sixties, Gurka studied accounting, business law, and bookkeeping. By 1969, he was working as an accountant. At that time, the United States was involved in the Vietnam War, and Gurka, who was 23 at the time, was classified as 1A, meaning he could be drafted into the armed forces at any time.

I dont believe in war, said Gurka, a pacifist to this day. As teachers were exempt from being drafted in order to avoid a situation that would have completely contradicted his beliefs, Gurka decided to pursue a career in education.

I felt I could do more good by being a teacher than going to war, he said. I would be a terrible solider.

Once the war was over, Gurka found himself in love with teaching, and he never returned to accounting. He has been teaching for over thirty years.
His objection to war did not end with the Vietnam War which was finally concluded in 1975. Gurka became certified in conflict resolution and mediation as part of his training. He feels that many wars could be prevented if people would take the time to listen to one another. According to him, the practice of conflict resolution is not always successful because people are not always willing to resolve their problems peacefully.

People have to be accepting of the process, he says. People dont realize that listening is a skill.