There aren’t many detention teachers who are so beloved by their students as Ronald Boyd was at Pulaski Street School.
The former in-school suspension supervisor, known for hurling tootsie rolls at students and for his patience teaching the game of chess, impacted the lives of countless Riverhead children over his 14 years of teaching with his irresistible sense of humor, his booming voice and his meaningful lessons that his students would carry with them through the rest of their lives.
Mr. Boyd passed away at the age of 70 on Monday, February 8 at his home in Riverhead. Many of his former students took to social media to express their grief and condolences for a teacher they remembered as funny, caring and sincere.
“He was loved by all the kids,” said Anthony Carragher, a 2010 Riverhead High School graduate, in an interview this morning. “He was this giant with a loud voice, but he had such a big heart, and when he spoke, you listened.”
That fine balance between maintaining authority while still making his students feel understood and respected was a particular talent of Mr. Boyd’s. A large man with a larger voice, Mr. Boyd was an imposing sight to the misbehaving students who wound up in his classroom. But it was his unexpected humor – and his readiness to lend an ear – that enabled him to forge deeper, more lasting connections with those students.
“He always struck exactly the right tone,” said John Fallot, who graduated from Riverhead High School in 2009. “He used humor, too, and that’s what made the difference.”
Mr. Boyd would often throw tootsie rolls and jolly ranchers at students who were acting up under his care. “He would ‘be mean’ by throwing candy at you,” Carragher said. He also amused and tempered children by bursting into impromptu song about “how bad kids are.”
But it wasn’t just the “bad” kids who spent time with Mr. Boyd. Over the years, his classroom became a refuge for students who were having trouble fitting in, who were being bullied or simply were looking for some relief from their pre-teen anxieties.
“His detention room was something of a haven for anyone looking to avoid the awkwardness of the cafeteria,” said Caitlin Padeletti, a 2009 graduate. “He was always willing to listen.”
He also ran a chess club that was popular after school, where he taught hundreds of students the complex game and imparted some more important lessons as well.
“I would spend my lunches in the detention room just to play chess with him,” said Carragher, who was a member of the chess club.
He remembers Mr. Boyd telling him, “In chess there are no losers – just the person who had the better strategy. If you keep at it and ask for help, you will eventually find the better strategy in life.”
“So it was more than a chess club he was running,” Carragher said. “He was teaching keys to life.”
Before he started teaching at Pulaski Street School, Mr. Boyd served in the Vietnam War in the U.S. Army. Predeceased by his parents Henry and Louise Boyd, he is survived by his brothers, Wayne, Craig and Chris, and his sister, Gail.
A visitation for Mr. Boyd will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, February 10, at Tuthill-Mangano Funeral Home in Riverhead. A funeral service will be held at Goodwille AME Zion Church on Flanders Road Thursday at 10 a.m. Interment will follow the service at Calverton National Cemetery.
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