About Robert Broecker, Alvarado Principal

Personal Statement         Resume

I am a small town boy. I was raised in a town of 300 on the banks of the St. Croix River in Minnesota. I swam in the river in front of my childhood home. I ran through the acres of woods in back. The son of a State Prison worker and a grocery store clerk, never once did I think I would be where I am now. The path leading to principal at Alvarado has had some turns in it. I started my career as a high school French teacher in another small Minnesota town. For awhile I thought that was what I would retire doing. I spent fourteen years teaching French in the same room. I loved it. I would take students to France every two years, exploring all corners of the country, from Normandy to the Alps, from Marseilles to Paris. Paris was a big change from my rural upbringing. It’s hard to believe that some of my first students are now in their forties!

The next turn in my career came when I was recruited for and became a fourth grade teacher at a French immersion school in Edina, MN, a Minneapolis suburb. Four years later, in 2002, my partner and I decided we had seen enough of Minneapolis’ charms and decided to move to San Francisco. I was offered a job with SFUSD…but no position. That I had to find on my own. It turned out that Alvarado needed a computer teacher. I applied and was accepted. What a stroke of luck! I knew practically nothing of San Francisco schools and literally nothing about Alvarado. To land in such a wonderful school has been highly fortunate. My time here has taught me much. I have learned first-hand of the challenges facing California public schools and of the power of committed teachers and parents.

Whether in a small town like St. Mary’s Point, Minnesota or a world class city like San Francisco, California, the educational needs and wants of children and families remain essentially the same: to have a safe place to grow into successful, self-actualized and happy individuals. I am motivated by this belief: students and their families hold the power to reinvent themselves and their world. As your principal these continue to be my priorities:

* Excellence in Education: we are fortunate to have a highly dedicated and talented teaching staff. With them, I strive to ensure that our students are given the best possible education using the highest standards for instruction and focusing on the whole child.

* Foster community: ensuring that the Alvarado parent, student and teacher community is open to and representative of its diverse population.

* A Rich Educational Atmosphere: reaching and teaching the heart and soul of the child through a fertile language experience, math, the arts and sciences.

* Education as Social Justice: I envision Alvarado as a school where we all develop both a strong sense of self and the academic agility needed to improve ourselves and our community. Education should not be the repository of the status quo. Rather, it should be an instrument for freedom, teaching us how to deal effectively with the world and to help transform it. This is especially important for and special attention must be paid to those that the educational system has routinely overlooked and submerged: communities of color, English language learners and the poor.

We are a rope, made stronger by its many strands. We have an admirable history here of an enviable two-way immersion program and a quality general education program, both bolstered by a deep arts curriculum. I will continue to work in cooperation with teachers and community to spread our passion for learning. Administrator, teacher, student and family are joint actors in the education of the child. Together we will support the vibrant learning community at Alvarado Elementary School.