Mr. Ralph: A Dose of Your Favorite “Old Man”

By Yamazjiah Thomas, Staff Writer

December 1st, 2023

Mr. Ralph. 

The amazing Mr. Ralph has been teaching at School Lane for 3 years now and, has made an amazing impact in such little time. He teaches a diploma program Theory of Knowledge course and has such passion for everything he does. With Mr. Ralph, there is never a dull moment, and always a complement. This is his 44th year teaching in a row. He has two majors: English literature and philosophy. Who do you know has been teaching for 44 years in a row and still has the same passion for it? That is what you call dedication and genuine love. He is always quick to call himself old, but we think he fits right in with the seniors.

His very first teaching job was in a Philadelphia school in 1980 that had 6500 students. Think of how many names, and faces he would’ve had to remember. This was early when he first received his master's degree and he wasn't sure of what kind of teacher he should be. He had 6 classes to teach with 35 students in each class and very few students did any work at all because of the amount of students in a class. According to him, it was a wretched disaster. He even sometimes cried on his way home because he felt stuck not knowing how he could become a better teacher. He wanted to help all 35 students of each class learn something. He was so determined to become a good teacher that he didn't take a single day off, but he did leave for a better foundation. It was starting to be too stressful and too much for a beginner. He says that was one of his worst experiences when it came to teaching because didn't know what he was walking into.

Mr. Ralph had some really good moments and bad experiences when it came to teaching. One experience that really shocked him was when a young lady pulled a knife out on him in class. It took a good 2 hours for him to finally get the young lady to put the knife away. As nice as Mr. Ralph is, he reflected that the young lady was just desperately not happy with herself and was going through something. Just by the soothing words of Mr. Ralph, she was able to put the knife down. Likely because of how understanding and calm he was in this situation despite knowing in the back of his mind that he was really scared. 

He plans on working as hard as he can to talk to as many kids as he can. While he is teaching he wants to touch their hearts and be memorable. Also, he wants kids to feel they are on the same side, and not against them. He says that's when disrespect and lack of effort come into play. A quote Mr. Ralph lives by and wants all his students to know is “This is the only moment in existence. Don't waste it in complaints and regrets; just keep writing the story you believe in.” This interview with Mr. Ralph was the best because he had an issue with his eye. He specified that he could see perfectly but his eyelid was just closed. During the middle of the interview, he lifts his eyelid to show me that he can see. LO/……L. This was so funny to me because right in the middle of the interview he just lifted his eyelid. This is something to always remember because who do you know that goes around lifting their eyelid? 

Mr. Ralph is a great teacher, guy, and friend. He is always so positive and heartwarming. Everyone has a nice moment or time with Mr. Ralph and that's what makes him so amazing. Another thing he will always tell you is there is not such a thing as a dumb question. He said he was “very flattered that you would notice an old man and better yet, write about him”. It gets no better than the one and only Mr. Ralph.