The Coat of Arms checks in with Menlo alum and history teacher Charles Wetherell. Staff photo by Zoey Lieberman.

Zoey Lieberman | A&L Editor

Coat of Arms: What is your life motto?
Charles Wetherell: Under-promise, over-deliver. Like if you lower expectations of things, then when you exceed those expectations, people are impressed. If you always exceed expectations, then nobody’s impressed when you do something good. So you [have] to,subtly throughout your life, underachieve but over deliver.

CoA: What was your most embarrassing moment as a Menlo student?
CW: When I was a senior, I was in Mr. Devitt’s AP Government class, and I was kind of an annoying student. When we got to the end of the year, we had a test the same day that I had a soccer game. I had to leave class early to go to my soccer game, and I didn’t tell Mr. Devitt that I wasn’t showing up for the test, nor did I turn in my assignment prior to leaving. So, I totally bounced. Mr. Devitt, upon learning this, announced to the rest of the class that he was going to fail me on all the content for the day. I got a 0 on the essay and test, and my grade, just from that day went from an A- to a C-. He forced me to take a special fake AP exam that I had take by myself a week later. And whatever score I got on that was my score for the test.

CoA: Which Kardashian are you?
CW: None of them.

CoA: Jay-Z or Kanye?
CW: Jay-Z. I don’t like Kanye. I find he’s too big for his breeches.

CoA: Why did you come back to Menlo to be a teacher?
CW: The first time I came back was because Mr. Colb gave me an opportunity. He created a job for me that covered a lot of different tasks. Then, after that one year, Mr. Colb encouraged me to go see what else was out there. So, I worked at a boarding school for two years in New Jersey, and after the two years, my girlfriend and I decided we would be happiest in the Bay.

CoA: Have you ever considered being a vegan?
CW: No, not really, but my dad’s gluten-free. I’ve kind of gone down that path, so that takes you into vegan town. But other than that, I love meat.

CoA: What’s your reputation among the teachers at Menlo?
I think my reputation is generally positive. I think I’m a people person. It’s been enough time that I’ve kind of moved out of the former student job, even though in the history department alone I’ve been taught by six teachers who are still here. But, I think I’m funny, affable, whatever. Ask somebody else what they think of me.