Chemistry and biology teacher Richard Dibler loves working with kids. Watching his students learn and understand science makes him happy. During his spare time he likes to ride motorcycles with friends and spend time with his dogs.

What do you love most about your job? “The students.”

What is the best thing about teaching at Tracy High? “We’re a family. It’s a very different group of people than any other schools have.”

Where did you go to high school? College? “ I went to high school for a little while in San Jose at Branham High School and then in Manteca at Calla High School. I went to college at MJC and then CSU Stanislaus.”

What do you love most about working with kids? “When the kids understand, and you can see the light bulb come on over their head.”

What is the most difficult part of your job? “Dealing with anything but the kids, such as meetings and things you have to do to keep the classroom running. Discipline can also be hard to deal with.”

What’s something your students are going to learn this year? In regards to Chemistry, how things work.”

Did you always know what you wanted to be? “No, if you told me when I graduated high school and even college, that I was going to be a teacher, I would have laughed at you. It took a couple years of running my own business and teaching other people how to run it that I learned I wanted to be a teacher.”

What makes you happy? “Seeing a student be successful, seeing that light bulb come on over their head.”

Do you have any children? “Nope. I have two dogs named Cleopatra and Other Dog who goes by her initials O.D.”

What was your first car? “A jet green 1964 Studebaker Commander Wagoner. It was like a station wagon, but the whole back top of the car slid forward so I could put a couple motorcycles in the back.”

What did you want to be when you were a kid? “I didn’t know. I wanted to be tomorrow.”

What is your favorite food? “Sushi. All sushi.”

What is your favorite movie? “It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World. I like this movie because there are so many people working together for one goal: to make people laugh. They’re working really hard just to make a cool thing flow. The comedy is them laughing at themselves, not at other people. It’s the most honest humor there is.”

What is your favorite style of music? “I like all music as long as it’s well done. I’ll listen to just about anything as long as it doesn’t promote hate. If I had to pick a favorite artist and song, right now it would be David Gilmour, Shine On You Crazy Diamond.”

What are your plans for Christmas Break? “I’m going to try to ride motorcycles for a little bit and get some projects done around the house.”