This year, Redwood welcomes a new member to its community as assistant principal Larry Pratt joins the staff.
Pratt’s career began in 2004, when he worked as a math teacher at Oakland Tech High School. From there, he taught all over the East Bay before landing at Redwood.
Pratt said that he never actually made a decision to enter the field of education. However, he said that education and helping others is an integral part of who he is, and teaching felt like the logical next step.
“After volunteering and tutoring at the local Boys and Girls Club during college, I thought that it would be fun to teach for two years. That was over 10 years ago.” Pratt said.
After receiving his B.S. in Mathematics from Morehouse College, Pratt got his California Teaching Credentials from S.F. State and his Masters from UC Berkeley.
As well as attending to students whose last names begin with letters A-F, Pratt oversees Advanced Placement testing, Academic Workshop, peer tutoring, emergency preparedness, facilities graduation, the California Healthy Kids Survey, parking, textbooks, and campus safety.
“My favorite part of working in education is helping students to reach their full potential, guiding them into things they think they can’t do,” Pratt said. “I listen and allow myself to be a resource.”
Learning from his students is also something Pratt has enjoyed over his years in education.
“I really do have a tremendous love for learning and for helping others to learn,” he said.