By EMILY ZHU
After 25 years of working in the Jericho School District, social studies teacher Mr. Devlin is retiring. Mr. Devlin has worked as a teacher for almost 30 years, previously teaching in the Great Neck and Plainedge districts.
Growing up in a family of 5 in Scotland, Mr. Devlin had consistent experience working with children. In 1982 he started helping out at summer camps and felt rewarded by his interactions with the campers.
Mr. Devlin didn’t always plan to pursue a career in education. Studying in Glasgow, Scotland, he earned an economics degree and worked in business. However, he was unsatisfied in the field. His then-wife was a teacher, and her involvement with education as well as his experiences with children sparked his passion for teaching.
Mr. Devlin has learned many valuable lessons as a teacher, but the most important one has been patience. “Be patient with your students; be patient with your colleagues,” he said.
He believes that teaching is both exciting and frustrating, and feels rewarded by the relationships he experienced.
Mr. Devlin left a lasting impression on many of his students. Jericho alumnus Jasmine C. said, “Mr. Devlin created a very safe and comfortable environment in which we learned a lot, but we could also have a lot of fun, and I always appreciated his little jokes.”
Alumnus Ethan W. added, “Going into his class, whether it’s World or Econ, it’s always an exciting opportunity to learn something.”
Mr. Devlin fondly remembers his demonstration lesson at Jericho. “I remember just feeling afterwards this is where I belong,” he said.
Mr. Devlin appreciates the professionalism of the staff and the support of the students. He feels that the environment has always been very collegial. He said it has “only gotten stronger over the years.”
Mr. Devlin’s final piece of advice to his colleagues is to prioritize the wellbeing of their students. He said, “I find a lot of Jericho students are really high-achieving, and they put a lot of pressure on themselves. It’s a lot of stress to put on a young person.”
In retirement, Mr. Devlin wants to continue enjoying his longtime hobbies outside of teaching such as golfing, hiking and reading. Most of all, he looks forward to spending more time with his family. He said, “I just want to spend more time with my kids, my grown-up kids. We bought a house in Ithaca, so that’s where I’m retiring with my partner Jennifer.”