Beginning his career as a programmer, AP Computer Science and Pre-Calculus Honors teacher David Dobervich did not always have his sights set on teaching. After switching majors several times, Dobervich graduated from UC Berkeley with a double major in cognitive science and philosophy and a minor in computer science. However, after the company he worked for shut down, Dobervich pivoted to teaching, filling a mid-year opening at a private school.
“They were really desperate, and I was available, so they hired me, and it was really fun,” Dobervich said.
After 17 years at FHS, Dobervich strives to make his lessons easy to understand. He tries to assign work that is accessible for students of all skill levels, yet also providing plenty of opportunities for students to challenge themselves.
“He always tries to make sure we understand the base of the concept,” FHS sophomore Fatema Shiyaji said. “He teaches so that we understand the thinking behind [the concept], instead of just memorizing formulas.”
Teaching comes with the challenge of work-life balance. Striving to constantly improve their lectures and lessons eats into a teacher’s personal time.
“You know that if you spent an extra hour on a lesson, you would make it make sense to five more people in the class,” Dobervich said. “And so you have to make a conscious choice not to make a better lesson, because otherwise you would work until midnight every night.”
That being said, FHS junior Nina Chandy — who took APCS during her sophomore year — reflects that the class was always enjoyable, especially because it was clear that Dobervich loved teaching it.
“His lectures, I loved that,” Chandy said. “When he runs around, he’s always so enthusiastic. He gets really excited about the topic. If you ask him questions, he’ll always be super energetic.”
Along with teaching, Dobervich also mentors the FHS Robotics team. The FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) and FIRST Technical Challenge (FTC) teams often use his classroom to practice.
“He makes a lot of the big decisions in our club, he works with our other head mentors,” Chandy said. “He’s obviously really talented in the software direction. So he’ll come in every few days and help the software team, like he teaches in class.”
Outside of teaching, Dobervich has numerous hobbies, including rock climbing. Whether indoors or outdoors, rock climbing provides both a physical and mental challenge.
“It feels really special to be 1000 feet up on a wall,” Dobervich said. “It’s just you and the sun and the wind, and it’s very quiet and nice.”
Reflecting on how he got to where he is today, Dobervich believes that students should recognize that there is more than one path to success.
“A lot of life is random, but what you can do is make sure that you have enough skills that you can take advantage of opportunities when they arise,” Dobervich said. “Make sure you’re not so focused on your one goal that you miss opportunities that are arising that you just simply aren’t looking at because you’re so focused on something else.”
