Richard Geib may be known to students as the teacher of various classes and subjects, but to his family, friends and peers, he is known as a reader, blogger and sports junkie. Geib teaches Advanced Placement (AP) English, Government/Economics and College Preparatory English. Along with his teaching career, Geib enjoys sharing his hobbies with his wife and two daughters.
Growing up, Geib spent most of his time focusing on two activities: reading and sports. Geib dabbled in nearly every sport, including martial arts, track, cross country, football, baseball and basketball. “I knew the seasons by what sport it was,” Geib stated. “If it was winter, it was basketball, fall was football, spring or summer was baseball.”
In high school, Geib primarily focused on martial arts, track and cross country. “The cross-country team was a lot like Foothill’s team—very time consuming. I studied and I did a sport, and that’s all I had time for,” he said.
Although Geib may be known as a teacher involved in the rigorous AP courses at Foothill, Geib took the College Preparatory route during his own high school career. “AP was so small, you barely even knew it was there. I was in the College Prep track, which is a little bit like the AP track now,” he said.
When it came to a “dream job,” Geib didn’t necessarily have one growing up. As a kid, he focused mostly on simply being a kid, rather than trying to see the future. His decision to become a teacher sprouted from his love of education. Considering his passion for reading, history, literature and learning, “it felt like a natural outlet to do those things for a living.”
Outside of his day job of teaching, Geib enjoys playing tennis, target shooting and spending time with his family. He is currently the captain of his USTA Tennis Team, which is his favorite past time aside from looking after his two daughters. Geib also has his own personal webpage, which he has been writing and publishing for 21 years.
“Almost no one ever reads it, […] but it’s my own little intellectual brainchild,” he said. Though he has less time to spend on it now, he still feels “it’s a way of having an artistic representation of who I am and what I believe in.”
When Geib needs an extra way to keep his energy levels up, he focuses on increasing his daily exercise. “To feel like I can get a good night sleep, to feel like I can digest my meal nicely, to have an appetite, […] I need exercise,” he said, His favorite forms of exercise are tennis, pilates, yoga and swim.
Geib’s favorite way to spend time with his family is through reading and sports activities. He and his daughters have read countless books together, including the timeless “Harry Potter” series. He also has his daughter’s memorize multiple poems to keep their fascination with literature circulating. When it comes to sports, along with playing tennis with them, Geib was also their soccer coach for countless years. “That’s what I’m into,” he said, “So [my] kids are kind of into it, too.”
Geib is proud that he is “one of the original founding Dragons to have started this school.” Along with his passions of reading, his consistent pleasure from exercise, and his love for his family, he feels that being at Foothill from the beginning has been a “long, interesting journey.”
