Mr. Edward Tahmassian is our new chemistry teacher, replacing Mr. Les Wigger, who retired after the last school year. This is Mr. Tahmassian’s first year teaching at Glendale High School. Many students are already fond of him, and it has only been a month since school started. 

Is he the best new teacher ever? Please continue reading to find out!

Mr. Tahmassian grew up in Fremont, CA (near San Francisco) until around the age of 15. Then he relocated to Glendale, CA in 2007, where he attended GHS starting his sophomore year. He then later graduated from our school in 2009. 

Mr. Tahmassian was a part of the track team all throughout his years at GHS. Then in his senior year, he was an election worker for the historic 2008 U.S. Presidential Election, when Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States. 

Mr. Tahmassian then went on to attend UC Berkeley where he would earn his bachelor’s in Molecular Cell Biology, with an emphasis in Biochemistry. He is also currently working on his Master’s thesis in Education.  

One of Mr. Tahmassian’s favorite quotations is “Maturity is that time when the mirrors in our minds turn to windows, and instead of seeing the reflection of ourselves, we see others.” He likes this because it is “regarding why my moving from Fremont, CA to Glendale, CA was an invaluable experience.” 

There have been many changes to our school since the last time Mr. Tahmassian attended. There used to be physical assignments, workbooks and textbooks, scantrons and #2 pencils. Our classrooms had chalkboards, the occasional whiteboard, and a VCR to watch films. This is completely different from what our students are used to today. 

Mr. Tahmassian treats his students differently than many other teachers. He speaks to all the students as if they are adults, helps them become more independent with their classwork, and encourages them to better  communicate with their peers. The reason why he does this is to prepare his students for college life and to help them understand what to expect when they graduate from high school. 

Mr. Tahmassian decided to return to GHS, because Glendale has a special place in his heart, and he also wanted to give back to the community. He takes advantage of the technology that is available to us now to make his classes easier to understand and to better serve his students. 

Mr. Tahmassian is honestly one of the best new teachers on campus; you can learn many important life lessons and skills from him. For all those freshmen reading this, cross your fingers that you have Mr. Tahmassian next year. Please stop by his classroom today and say hello!