Do you remember Mr. Maritato’s first year teaching in the Smithtown District? Neither do I, that’s because Richard Nixon was the president, a gallon of gas cost 40 cents, teachers were allowed to smoke in classrooms and Smithtown West was referred to as Accompsett Junior High.
The year was 1971.
Mr. Maritato retired from Smithtown West last school year (2016-2017), after 46 years on the job. I was lucky enough to interview him and allow him to reflect and reminisce on 46 years of work. The interview took place in room C119, a room that rings close to home, for the first marine biology class took place there decades earlier.
Mr. Maritato decided at Stony Brook University that he wanted to study marine science but, at that time Stony Brook did not offer any undergraduate degrees in that field. Since that was the case, he planned on getting a job as a teacher, certified in chemistry, earth science, marine science, and biology, in order to gain enough money to go to graduate school and follow his passion as a marine biologist. But once Mr. Maritato stepped into the classroom he never stepped back out to pursue his original goals or any others. He loved teaching because he relished the opportunity to educate kids and give back to this great community. He valued educating kids and felt it was very important that kids learn marine science since we live on an island.
He decided to retire after this past year because of tragic circumstances. Last year he lost his mom, dad and sister. These events gave him a moral epiphany and made him realize that there is still a lot of things he wants to experience before it’s too late. His job as a chaperone at school sports game, and new gig as a sporadic sub allows him to enjoy retirement but still keep in touch with his old stomping grounds.
When asked about his favorite part of working in a school for so long he responded, “Since I was lucky enough to teach 9th and 12th grade I appreciated seeing the growth in students throughout their high school career. It was also refreshing to see kids come back and visit me from college. Although, it did make me feel old when many years later I would read out attendance and come across the same last name and realize I now have their sons and daughters.” He then talked about how back then there used to be a separate campus for freshmen. He was glad this changed because “the freshmen needed people to put them in their place at times.” He ended by saying, “…thankfully I haven’t had any grandchildren yet in my class.”
Mr. Maritato also clearly remembers many historical events that took place during his time at West. While the interview was going on, many of the Ocean’s classes were on an annual field trip in Southampton. He recalls being on the same trip 23 years earlier when the O.J. Simpson trial verdict was happening. “We were taking a lunch break and there was a TV in the room, we all watched it and I don’t think anyone learned anything that day (chuckles).” He remembers the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster that happened 31 years ago on a January testing day and Nixon’s impeachment that happened on a February testing day. “He felt shocked and horrified in 2001 when someone told him in between Earth Science periods that two planes had crashed into the World Trade Center. “Immediately I called my kids to make sure they were safe.”
The thing that has amazed Mr. Maritato over the years the most is the evolution and major integration of technology into schools. ¨Technology has been introduced into every facet of life and I am afraid it is starting to take over, I mean I still have a flip phone and I can communicate fine.¨ He also has seen a major change in the curriculum. The subjects taught in his first couple years only included Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, no honors classes or electives. Only in the late 80’s was there some semblance of an elective introduced with the creation of something called ¨mini courses.¨ Mini courses were 10 week courses where passionate, overachieving students could ask their teachers to create their own course on topics similar to the electives offered today. He remembers creating an energy and marine oceanography course for his students. ¨These ‘mini courses’ laid the groundwork for the science electives we see today in every school.¨
There are many hobbies Mr. Maritato hopes to enjoy in his recently acquired free time. He loves water sports, more specifically, kayaking, paddle-boarding and surfing. He also hopes to ski more and continue his morning runs in Sunken Meadow. ¨The most important routine for me is waking up every morning (besides Sunday) at 5:30 and driving from Northport to Sunken Meadow for a run.¨
¨It has been a great ride for me there have been so many influential and inspiring people I have met in my teaching career that it makes me so thankful that things worked out the way they did. One piece of advice I would give to people out there searching for a career to pursue is find a job you can see yourself enjoying 30 to 40 years later and when in doubt become a high school teacher because there is nothing more satisfying than watching the growth of young men and women.¨