Math teacher Randolph Mercado is taking over as the instructional leader of the Math Department next school year, bringing a fresh perspective to the position at Palo Alto High School.
According to Mercado, stepping into the role comes with excitement and a sense of responsibility to maintain a careful balance between supporting teachers and meeting student needs.
“This department has done so much work to be good educators for you guys [students], but you guys also have needs that are hard to balance,” Mercado said. “Because we [the math teachers] do hard work and you guys do hard work, that balance is always something that we’re considering.”
Mercado said his experience teaching across various math levels at Paly gives him a broader perspective to ensure that every student group feels represented and supported.
“Having taught in all lanes, it gives me some perspective to make sure that the student population we have here has some voice,” Mercado said. “It’s often the case that one group might get the spotlight at certain times, but I think that all students are indeed at all times, right, so having that perspective, having taught all the lanes here, is going to be good.”
Current Math Department instructional leader, Natalie Docktor, said the most important qualities for the role are the ability to work with others and maintaining rigor within each course.
“He [Mercado] works well with students and teachers,” Docktor said. “Mercado can negotiate with both the teachers and the administration, working towards a harmonious relationship between administration and the Math Department.”
Sophomore Harry Bittinger, one of Mercado’s current students, said Mercado’s calm and collected personality makes him suitable for an administrative role leading the Math Department.
“Mercado is pretty qualified and he’s a good teacher,” Bittinger said. “I think that an administrative position would be very suited to him. He’s very calm and collected, and he could probably be in charge of a group of people [and] instruct them very well.”
Junior Alex Isayama said he believes Mercado’s optimistic personality will help him adjust to his new position.
“I’m happy that Mercado is becoming the new head of the Math Department,” Isayama said. “He’s outgoing and funny, and the lectures he gives are always engaging. I’m looking forward to the positive changes he’ll bring to the department.”
According to sophomore Julie Yang, Mercado’s strong teaching skills and ability to effectively communicate material — even as a new teacher — make him a great fit to lead the Math Department.
“Mercado is a very competent teacher to be the head of the Paly Math Department,” Yang said. “Mercado would make a great Math Department lead because I had him when I took Algebra 2/Trig H in freshman year. Even though he was a very new teacher, I thought he had all of the necessary abilities to teach me information.”
Docktor is excited for Mercado to lead the Math Department in the future and to hopefully implement a more diverse lane system.
“Mercado understands the value of the math lanes at Paly,” Docktor said. “He knows what it takes to be successful in each of the lanes and that each lane is a good math lane. I am hoping that Mr. Mercado can bring back the Geometry A lane that feeds our Algebra 2/Trig A course. Every lane is important to meet students where they are and bring them to the next level. Mercado knows that student learning is the basis for what we do in the Math Department, and he is willing to fight for what is right.”
