June 12, 2023 by Natalie Rock (‘23)
Teacher: Mr. Scott
What do you teach?
Regents Chemistry & Principles of Chemistry
Where did you attend college? Likes? Dislikes?
Mr. Scott attended Hofstra University for one year with intentions of becoming a doctor. After a chance to be a teaching assistant (TA), he transferred to SUNY Oneonta knowing he was meant to teach. The program at Oneonta drew him in, along with great reviews from friends who attended the school. The chance to double major in chemistry and education was perfect for him, and the small class sizes were the cherry on top. Mr. Scott said, “I had 13 kids in my chemistry major. So, you got to know professors very well, and it helped a lot with getting jobs.”
Is this what you planned to be doing when you started out in college? If not, what career did you originally plan on?
“I played 3 sports as an athlete in high school. 6 minutes into the first game of football season of my senior year I broke and dislocated my thumb at the same time. Because of this, I got to see the power of what a doctor did. I wanted to be that person for someone else,” said Scott. However, this dream changed after his time as a TA. Growing up with both parents in education, Mr. Scott vowed he would never do it himself, noting, “I told myself forever I would never do it because of stories they told. It was always kind of my calling though, and in the back of my head.” After his great experience as a TA, and passion for helping the students, he jumped on the opportunity.
What are your hobbies outside of school?
Mr. Scott has always been big on exercise–hiking, running, etc. He’s done a couple of the high peaks. Additionally, he loves to cook and said, “I learned from my dad, who’s a great cook, and now I cook every Sunday from 5-7pm, making meals for the week.” Chicken, rice, and broccoli are a must for meal prep, according to Mr. Scott, but he also loves to grill steak.
What does an ideal weekend look like to you?
(Ideally a fall weekend…)
Friday: Mr. Scott is one of the coaches of the football team, so his weekend would start with an exciting home game, and, of course, a win. Ideally, it would be a big game like homecoming or something, with a great atmosphere.
Saturday: Almost always the relaxation day for Mr. Scott, he likes to unwind by viewing whatever college football is on.
Sunday: NFL football and his designated cooking time from about 5-7pm takes up his Sunday.
Any sort of activity that would allow Mr. Scott to enjoy the outdoors would also be scattered within his day.
If a genie granted you 3 wishes right now, what would you wish for?
1) “For students to see in themselves what I see in them. For students to have confidence and believe in themselves, rather than not. Which is the way it typically goes.”
2) For students to have a “lighter backpack” or less baggage when they walk into the room every day.
3) For Fat Paulie’s deli to serve lunch AND breakfast at the school.
How would people close to you describe you?
“They would say I work way too hard. I spend a lot of time on school work. Whether it’s changing up a lesson plan, or grading something, they would say I work harder than I probably should.” Additionally he would hope they’d say he’s enthusiastic, outgoing, kind, and brightens up anyone’s days.
What is something on your bucket list?
Mr. Scott took German when he was in high school, and although his skills may be a little rusty, he would love to visit Germany one day.
What is your biggest accomplishment?
The first one that came to mind for Mr. Scott was his ability to impact students. He believes it’s not enough for students to leave the classroom “not miserable.” Instead, he wants to leave them excited and changed. He also is proud of his recent completion of a 3 year master’s degree, all done while teaching. “Every spare minute would be spent working toward that,” he said. “So it was a lot.”
What is one thing that your students don’t know about you?
“My students don’t know much about me because I’m super private. It drives them nuts that I don’t share anything, and they all try to find everything,” Mr. Scott noted. One–small–secret Mr. Scott was willing to share is the fact that he drives a stick shift car (manual transmission). He has never driven anything but a stick shift and he even took his road test with it; it was something he just always wanted to do.
Why do you think you were picked as a graduation speaker?
“Honestly, at first, I didn’t know,” said Mr. Scott. Thankfully a special appearance from Mrs. Bell was able to stop him from being so humble.
Mrs. Bell remarked, “I’ll tell you why you got picked. He greets every kid by name in the hallway. Every kid that he knows, he greets them by their name.”
Mr. Scott chimed in and said, “yeah, it’s remembering faces, or names. It’s the little things; it’s not like I’m changing the world.”
Mrs. Bell interjected, saying, “but, the little things change the world. We stand outside our doors, while kids would be coming in, and kids that we’re going into other chem classes would get greeted by him too. Kids he’s never even taught, get greeted by name, and he may be the only one in this building that says their name today. You cannot underestimate how important that is to kids. His kids feel seen and feel like they matter. He’s the epitome of ‘it’s not just my kids.’ Every kid in this school is one of Mr. Scott’s kids.”
Are you excited to speak at graduation? Nervous?
“I’m not nervous about speaking in front of people. I never have been; I mean I was a tour guide in college. I’ve never done it in front of thousands of people, so I’m sure in-the-moment that’ll be nerve wracking. I’m not really nervous about talking, but my nerves came from ‘what on earth am I going to say to you guys.’ I sit here all of 7 years later, and I don’t remember what my commencement speaker said, or who it was. I stressed over how to make it impactful and make it something you guys can take with you.”
What is a sneak peek of the general theme of the speech?
Mr. Scott wanted meaningful parts of the students’ high school careers to be included in the speech, so he went around and talked to some seniors first hand to find out what held importance to them at SSHS. Additionally, he leaves us with a bit of a mystery to figure out, saying, “part of the speech is hinted at somewhere within this article.”
What is some advice for graduating seniors that you are not including in your speech?
“Stop worrying about what other people think about you. You have to believe in yourself in order to fulfill everything you’re hoping to achieve. So, if you’re worried about what everybody else thinks of you, it is always going to be a drag, or a weight, or something that’s impacting the pursuit of your dreams.”