Q&A With Mr. Taylor Reflecting on His Time at RCS
The Riverdale Review: How long have you been at Riverdale? Can you describe your different positions/roles in the Riverdale community over the years?
Mr. Thomas Taylor: “I started in 2004 as a physics teacher and did that full time for three years, coached a little tennis while I was at it, and then I moved into the Director of Financial Aid role for two years, and then I was Dean of the Class of 2013.”
RR: What do you feel were your biggest accomplishments or contributions at River- dale?
TT: “That’s a hard question for me, probably because I’m leaving after only three years. I feel as though I’m leaving some things undone...I have tried to be really accessible, and so I hope that people have felt that whether they are thrilled with a decision I have made or frustrated with a decision I have made that my door is open, and that I’m open to feedback good, bad, or indifferent. And so I hope that that has characterized my time as Upper School head.”
RR: What are your favorite memories from your time at Riverdale?
TT: “Anytime that you get to allow for unbridled joy, those are the moments that are the best. Senior Skip Day is never my favorite day of the year because usually there’s a prank associated with it, but last year for example, in a sort of spontaneous way, the whole class decided to get in the pool, and they just had fun in the pool. And then...at the end of the day, the whole class last year cleaned up...and they did it with a smile on their face...And so, when we can have moments of real joy and still be attentive to the needs of our community at the same time, those are the things that always stick out as particularly positive to me.”
RR: What will you miss the most about Riverdale?
TT: “Everything...Riverdale is a community that I love deeply and I started here when I was 22 years old and I have learned a lot here and I’ve grown a lot, I’ve been challenged, I’ve made mistakes, and it’s a community that has continued to invest in my growth, and I think that the students here are amazing and the faculty here are amazing, and when you get people who care so deeply about what it is they’re doing everyday, that’s magic.”
RR: Do you have any words of wisdom or thoughts you would like to share with the RCS community?
TT: “Every year there are students who say, ‘Ugh, this thing about Riverdale is no good’ or there are faculty who say, ‘Gosh, I wish this thing about Riverdale were different’ and I would count myself among those people, especially back in 2013 when I was getting ready to leave - then I left and worked at another school for 7 years, and that school was great, and I’m getting ready to go to another school now and what I’ve come to understand is that Riverdale is an organization full of humans, and humans are imperfect, so yes, there are bound to be imperfections in our community, but this is a really remarkable place. And I hope that people’s long term familiarity with the place doesn’t lead them to focus on the imperfections at the cost of recognizing all of what is good here, because I think there is a lot of really great stuff here. I think most people do that, but I think sometimes we can get caught up with what we would like to see different, rather than celebrating what is great.”
