Mr. Taylor: 2020 Ramblings

Mr. Taylor, Science Teacher
November 2020

Last school year started with the promise of another great year including a winning soccer team. The weather was great early in September; Then the rains came. It ended up being the wettest soccer season of my coaching career. Even with the rain we did well and had fun. As expected, the varsity team made the playoffs. We played hard but lost to the school west of us.

Soccer was over and we buckled down doing school work. For me, last year's classes were the best set of classes I have had since Mrs. D was a senior. I was really looking forward to the spring and seeing everyone succeed in their finals.

The beginning of 2020 started with rumblings from China. Wrestling season was starting soon and we had moved the program to Southold. With a new coach and me assisting the program was doing phenomenal. All the wrestlers were improving, having fun, and winning. The rumbles were getting louder and being heard more often.

On the 11th of March we had a match scheduled at Mattituck. There were a few parents from all the schools that were getting worried about this new disease. Many wrestlers stayed home. That ended up being our last match. That night we got a call from the school that we had our first confirmed case of the coronavirus. We would be closed for a day or maybe a few days. The 12th of March was the junior high sports awards ceremony at Southold. It was a good day, but it would be the last time I was with the team, or a large group of students last year. My wife went to school that day and it was also her last day with her students.

No one really knew what was really happening. Many (most) people were afraid, scared, or in shock with what was to become drastic changes in our lives. Masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, lines at stores, toilet paper shortages were now the norm. What happened was different for everyone.

This was the first time in my life that I was with my wife everyday all day, for six months; and she still likes me. I am so lucky to have her in my life. Like most teachers we were both out of our comfort zone. We did our best, presented the material, gave quizzes, and graded them. However, it was difficult and impersonal. Phone calls to check in helped when I wasn’t waking kids up at noon or 1 PM, but it still was not the same.

Being social beings meant something was missing. I missed my students, their smiles, jokes, and our friends. One day we were in Riverhead shopping, of course with our new masks. I ran into two students. It was something I needed. I was connected again, just for a few minutes- but connected. This was one highlight of the spring. Another was the senior drive through and the teacher parade. These events offered a connection.

When this school year started, as in any year, I was looking forward to the start of the soccer season. With all the changes sports were going to be something that was normal. Unfortunately, sports did not happen. Mr. Golden was able to put together an intramural program for field hockey, track, and yes- soccer! Even though the school day was hectic, sports were back, kind of anyway. Coaches and students had fun and could forget about the problems for a bit.

This year hasn’t been all bad for our family. Our younger daughter got engaged under the Millennium Falcon at Disney in February. She got married in the spring before she deployed to Afghanistan. We went to her wedding in Tennessee, virtually. Who knew Zoom weddings were a thing? That was not what anyone wanted, but it was a very good day. One day in April a bouquet of flowers arrived at our house. We read the card, then we reread the card. It was from our grandchild. Wait! We are going to be grandparents! Not the daughter that was just married, but her older sister. In December, we should see the arrival of our grandson. These are good things.

This year has retaught me to not take things for granted, have some fun every day. Work hard, but play hard too. Be nice to people. Don’t forget what gifts you have. Cherish who you love. Tell them you love them. Hopefully the vaccine will be out soon.Life (and school) can go back to normal, not the new normal, but the normal we all took for granted.