March 24, 2023
By Chloe Nash, Veritas Staff
ROCKLAND- Science teacher Mr. Robert Murphy is retiring at the end of the year after 23 years of working at Rockland High.
Since starting at Rockland High, Mr. Murphy has taught Earth Science, Chemistry, Physical Science, and Introduction to Robotics.
Mr. Murphy, 69, has been thinking about retiring since the end of last school year, and although he enjoys teaching and being able to help students understand difficult concepts, he has decided to retire due to knowing that at his age he probably should.
“Working here gave me a lot of free time for my family, something I didn’t have in my previous job,” Mr. Murphy said.
Before working here, Mr. Murphy was an administrator in the healthcare field and worked at several hospitals in the greater Boston area.
He loved the idea of teaching science, so when the opportunity came in his healthcare career to change direction and Massachusetts was in need of teachers, he started a different career and was hired by former Principal Steve Sangster at RHS.
After retiring, Mr. Murphy plans to travel, spend summers on his boat, and take care of his new grandchild.
Mr. Murphy said the hardest part about teaching is seeing students not realize their potential until it becomes too late.
“Watching students …who you know have the ability to do well academically, not working or caring about their future which is highly influenced by the amount of education you have.”
Although being able to teach students can become difficult, one of the best parts of teaching for Mr. Murphy has been “having students that have long since graduated or even students that left last year that come back and say thank you, that's what every teacher looks for.”
History teacher, Mr. Randal Grimmett, has worked with Mr. Murphy for about 20 years and has become a close friend.
Both teachers are from Quincy, and after Mr. Grimmett realized he knew some of Mr. Murphy’s family, they started building a friendship.
Mr. Grimmett enjoys talking about music and trivia together, and he has seen Mr. Murphy change throughout the years.
“I think he's gotten a little more mellow with his age, and he doesn't let the little thing bother him,” Mr. Grimmett said.
Mr. Grimmett said that he is “really going to miss him a lot, and I don’t even think I know how much I’m going to miss him. I hope that Murph keeps himself busy doing all the things he wants to do, and none of the things he has to do.”
Mr. Murphy is also a coach for girls' track, and sophomore Jade Sforza, a member of the team, enjoys seeing him in the morning.
Sforza said that she’s “so sad because he won’t be able to see me [compete] for my senior year.”
As Mr. Murphy leaves Rockland High, Sforza also adds that “he won’t be here for the cross country or track season, so someone else is going to be replacing him. It's going to be weird seeing someone else in his place.”
Ms. Kara Penney, who graduated from RHS in 2015, loved being in Mr. Murphy’s class and running track for him.
“He always cared about me as an individual and looked out for my best interest. Getting the opportunity to now teach and coach alongside him I get to see that his kindness and focusing on the student as a whole goes for every student he has. He cares about each individual student's success and it's inspiring to see,” Ms. Penney said.
Ms. Julia DiCanzio, science department chair, said she will miss Mr. Murphy across the hall next year.
“I am going to miss the stories that Murph tells. He has so many funny stories, and he's so good at telling them and delivering a punchline. He has a story or advice for most situations, and when I was a new teacher, he was so helpful to me. He's always been right across the hallway, so I'm going to miss chatting in the mornings, between periods, and during Back to School Night and Parent Teacher Conferences,” Ms. DiCanzio said.
Mr. Murphy has consistently been a teacher students and colleagues can count on with his distinctive fashion sense, musical talent, and Dunkin Donuts Munchkins delivery every Friday.
Principal Dr. John Harrison said, “Mr. Murphy is one of the kindest people I know. He cares deeply about each kid, meets the kids at their needs, and has a high level of patience. His positive attitude, sense of humor, and desire to make learning authentic for students are simply extraordinary.”