A terrible teacher with a bad attitude

I am a graduate of La Cañada High School (1997) and a former student of Gabrielle Leko. A friend of mine sent me an article regarding Leko’s inappropriate comments to students in her class. I read that her inappropriate comments were characterized as “banter.”

I hesitate to publicly disparage any person’s work, but it’s a different story when kids are involved. LCHS is, and was, a great school with great teachers. Leko is an exception.

I recall Leko’s inappropriate behavior during pre-calculus. I recall her talking about her personal life and about her weight. I recall her being unnecessarily rude to students (but nothing more specific.) None of the other teachers at LCHS (or any other school or university I attended) behaved this way. There was one student who kept a diary of her comments and we all knew it. I specifically recall an incident in which she said one of her typical crazy comments, he started writing, and she asked “what are you putting in there?” At least for me, her behavior was a major distraction.

Putting it bluntly, she was a terrible teacher with a bad attitude. It appears from the article that things have gotten even worse. I’m referring to the racism. Her employment should be terminated for cause.

Theodore Khachaturian

Pasadena