AALA salutes the teachers, administrators, classified staff, and students of adult education programs! Did you know? The first recorded adult education class in California was held in the basement of St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco in 1856. The class was authorized by the San Francisco Board of Education to teach English to Irish, Italian, and Chinese immigrants. John Swett, who was the first volunteer teacher for the class, later became a California State Superintendent of Public Instruction.