With 66 years of experience teaching at Berkeley High School, Benette Williams has seen BHS through several decades. She can attest to the ever changing environment in Berkeley and the increased inclusion and diversity within BHS.
Williams attended Berkeley schools her entire life and graduated from BHS in 1960. She recalled that Berkeley’s education system was very different back in the day — that students would take placement tests very early on and then be on one track of classes with the same group of students for the entirety of their high school career. She remembered how restrictive this system was; there wasn’t a lot of movement from these groups of students — they were stuck in one track of classes and with the same other students.
When Williams attended BHS, there were significantly more students at the school, with her graduating class consisting of around 1,200 students. “It was really crowded, and there were no fences, (but) nobody left campus. You wouldn’t even think of leaving campus for lunch or anything — you had to eat at school,” Williams said, “and there were two lunch periods, so half the school was out having lunch when you were in class.”
After graduating from BHS, Williams took a gap year to travel and figure out what she wanted to dedicate her life to. She ended up going to Spain with a friend, where she learned to speak Spanish. “I went around and I had a headache and just the intensity of trying to understand everything. (It) took me about two months to be somewhat comfortable,” Williams said. After her time abroad, she began teaching Spanish at BHS in 1968.
Back in Berkeley, Williams was able to observe student reactions and protests regarding historical events like the Vietnam War. As student protests broke out all over the country, Williams recalled University of California Berkeley students participating in several protests and demonstrations.
The civil rights movement was also prevalent during the early years of Williams’ teaching career at BHS. Not only did the civil rights movement involve student walkouts and protests, but it caused change in the community at BHS. Williams remembered that BHS, especially before the civil rights movement, used to be a lot more segregated.
Not only were there clubs that acted in similar ways to fraternities and sororities, but there were also no small schools within BHS yet. The first small schools at BHS were established in the 2000s, and over time different small schools have been added while others have been phased out.
Overall, Williams has experienced different versions of BHS across many decades. But what has kept her coming back to teach each year are her students. Williams also reflected on her appreciation for her colleagues and the connections she shares with them. “I think in the language department, we’re very supportive of each other. We share a lot. We work together,” Williams said.