Dan Gurska

Dan knows that it truly takes a village—students, faculty, staff, administration, and parents—to make our learning space a reality, so when it is finally his turn to step in, he does so with gratitude. Dan believes that to be an effective educator, one must cultivate pluralistic academic communities where all people and learning styles are valued. Apart from the safety of his students, creating and maintaining an equitable classroom is always the top priority. He also feels that his duty as an educator is to feed curiosity. When students express genuine excitement in the classroom, he does everything that he can to accommodate and host their newfound interests.

 

MPUSD is where Dan first began his professional teaching career as a substitute. His first full-time teaching position was at Chartwell School, where he taught history and humanities courses. He also has teaching experience working on several other schools in the area, including Mount Madonna School, Rancho Cielo, and Central Coast College. In addition, Dan is an adjunct professor in several departments at Southern New Hampshire University, teaching various college courses to online learners from all over the world. Fun fact: Dan has taught students from every single state!

 

Dan earned his B.A. in Humanities with an emphasis in Psychology at Sierra Nevada University. He earned both his M.A. and Ph.D. in Mythological Studies with an emphasis in Depth Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute. He lives in Santa Cruz with his spouse and dog.