Reed Maltzman organized 300 students in 1985 to protest the PAUSD school board’s proposal of extra minutes of class times. His exciting experiences didn’t stop, however, as he later pursued a high flying career working for eBay. Eventually, he came back to the classroom as a Middle School teacher.

Maltzman is a Paly graduate, and is currently a fifth grade teacher at Kent Middle School in San Francisco. He still remembers his days at Paly: eating lunch on a sunny day against the portables, making floats for Spirit Week and singing with the Madrigals.

After graduating in 1985, Maltzman went to Harvard University where he majored in biology. However, he soon realized that this was not for him.

“The more I researched, the more convinced I became that you could only answer profound questions slowly,” Maltzman said. “I didn’t have the patience for that.”

Soon after, Maltzman took an interest in business, and in 1998 went to work for eBay, three years after the company was launched.

“I went to work at eBay because I thought it was a dynamic, and at the time small business with great growth ahead of it,” Maltzman said.

He became a director of strategy where he got a taste of the different parts of the company, such as helping set its international strategy, as well as recruiting executives. Maltzman focused on enhancing the user experience of buying and selling on eBay.

After four years of business experience, Maltzman decided to became a teacher.

“Teaching fifth grade fulfills a life long interest in teaching,” Maltzman said. “It is by far the best and the hardest job I have ever had.” He says he especially enjoys teaching his students writing because he takes pleasure in their creativity, and personally helping each student.

Maltzman says Paly gave him a strong academic background, and helped him mature.

“Paly has helped me understand the power and importance of personal relationships,” he said.

Maltzman still remembers some of his old teachers who helped him succeed. He said that Mr. Anderson, his economics and government teacher was his personal mentor throughout high school. He also acknowledges Ms. Fujikawa, his chorus teacher, and Ms. Lawrence, his chemistry teacher, for pushing him on an academic level.