A Final Farewell to Ms. Tarby

John Jay has seen its fair share of dedicated teachers over the years, and Ms. Tarby is one such teacher. After 23 years of tireless work teaching in our math department, she will be retiring at the end of this school year.

Before coming to John Jay, Ms. Tarby taught in the BOCES Beta Program, which existed before any local districts had alternative high schools. At Jay, Ms. Tarby primarily teaches ninth-grade Algebra classes, but has also taught our ENL students for the past seven years, and this year taught two sections of non-Regents Algebra 2 with juniors and seniors. Regarding her experience teaching ENL students, Ms. Tarby says that she loves it, as “they typically are very hardworking” and “want to be here.” She also expresses gratitude to her co-teacher, Mrs. Archibald, for helping with the communication side of things.

Ms. Tarby feels that John Jay has changed a lot since she first started working here, describing it as “very different,” as there used to be way more fights and a different atmosphere in the school. Nowadays, student attendance has gotten worse, especially since the pandemic, and there is more apathy among them. However, Ms. Tarby is hopeful for future years, as the effects of the pandemic have reportedly already started to wear off in elementary schools.

In school, Ms. Tarby has also been involved as a club advisor. Years ago, she advised the National Honor Society for about three years, and has advised the Math Honor Society for the past five years. She finds working with the Math Honor Society to be quite different from her ninth-grade Algebra classes, as it allows her to work with older students. Although being the advisor of the Math Honor Society came with many extra commitments and time put into the club, she reflects on it as “such a pleasure,” and hopes that she is viewed by the MHS members as someone who allowed the students to be leaders in managing the club the way they wanted to. Naflah Mohammed, the graduating Service President of MHS, confirmed Ms. Tarby’s outstanding advisership, saying, “Ms. Tarby has been such an important part of MHS. She’s truly one of the most dedicated, hardworking, and kind teachers I’ve had the joy of knowing here at Jay—from Math Carnival, to Pi Day, to Quiz Bowl, and everything in between, our community events would not have been possible without her help. I know MHS will miss her next year, and we wish her all the best on her retirement!”

Regarding retirement, Ms. Tarby has mixed feelings. Being a teacher has been the focus of her life since she was just a little girl with a dream, and she has always felt “a true vocation and a calling to be a teacher,” so stepping away from that will reflect a substantial change in her life. She also will miss her work family tremendously, and encourages any future teachers to get to know their colleagues, not just in their department but in the whole building. Still, she has hopeful plans for retirement. For one, she will continue to work in her side job as a Mary Kay sales director, which makes retirement easier since she isn’t completely stepping away from all work. Ms. Tarby described herself as a dog person, and plans to “rescue senior dogs from shelters to provide them with a loving home.” She is also optimistic that she will soon become a grandmother, humorously remarking that she hinted to her son and daughter-in-law that she is able to babysit whenever they need. The extra free time she has from retirement, she says, will also allow her to get back into more consistent exercise, as she had previously been very into running and triathlons.

Ms. Tarby hopes her legacy at Jay is that of a teacher who “really cared about the students.” Over the years, she has learned not to take things so personally, as sometimes things just work out in a way that is unexpected, but it may just be the way things go. As her final words of wisdom, Ms. Tarby urges students to come to school and at least try to put the effort in. “I know I speak for all the faculty in the building, we’re here to help,” she assured. “We’re here because we want to be here. We’re here because we want to make a difference in students’ lives, and that’s why we chose teaching.”

Reflecting on her experience teaching at John Jay as a whole, Ms. Tarby tearfully expressed that it has been a great environment to work in and she will miss it. Ms. Tarby’s passion for teaching and dedication to her craft have been evident throughout her 23 years here, and she will truly be missed by students and teachers alike.