My good friend and co-worker Joe Seidel passed unexpectedly on May 30th. The last month of the school year not only presented the challenge of mourning the loss of a close friend but also helping to shepherd hundreds of students through the loss of their favorite teacher.
I was given the honor to speak about Joe (or Mr. Seidel) at our graduation last week and am sharing my speech here on the blog. We're all going to miss Joe so much and if you didn't get a chance to know him, I think the following four lessons can introduce him to you.
You can find an amazing tribute put together by our school newspaper HERE
and Joe's appearance on my school based movie podcast where he spoke about his favorite movie, Jaws, HERE
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As we gather today to celebrate the wonderful achievements of the Class of 2026, we wanted to take a few minutes to recognize someone who is not with us today: Mr. Joseph Seidel
Having been friends with Mr. Seidel since our days teaching together in Brooklyn starting in 2015, I was devastated to learn of his passing just a few Saturdays ago.
After the initial, crushing shock and the phone calls to colleagues past and present to share the news, I thought of our school. More specifically I thought of our students.
I did this because I knew how much they cared for him and how important they were to him. How much YOU cared for him. How important YOU were to him.
Many of you were lucky enough to have him as a teacher during your freshman or junior year, while others knew him through his work with Public Forum Debate, his extra help sessions or one of the teachers scooping you ice cream after the APUSH exam.
For me, each week since his passing has brought a new reflection on Mr. Seidel’s life and the impact he had on our school. These reflections have led me to develop a few final lessons from Mr. Seidel that I would like to share with you today.
First, is the one that has been echoed throughout our school for the last three weeks: Lesson #1 is to Be Kind.
You’ve already been given this lesson so many times as a teenager in America in 2026. It was the topic of assemblies in middle school, or a cliché strewn across a wooden sign your mom bought on Etsy and hung in your kitchen. It was also a simple two word credo that Mr. Seidel lived out every day. It was what made him special. To be kind is simple and direct. To be kind means to care; care about everyone from your closest friend or family member to someone you just met. Check in with one another, give a warm greeting, let folks know you’re there; let folks know you care. Be the shoulder that’s needed to lean on, the ear that can listen . Be kind.
Now we stray into advice that is often heard at a commencement addresses.
Lesson #2 is to follow your passions.
Mr. Seidel had a deep interest in so many things that he carried throughout his life. The fishing that he did with his father and grandfather led to a lifelong passion on the ocean where he caught massive blue fin tuna and was part of the team that broke the world record for the largest shark ever caught.
He loved baseball. He played it from little league through college. He coached his daughter’s softball teams. The passion with which he could discuss the hall of fame credentials of Billy Wagner or the bonehead moves made by the current front office of the Mets made our conversations so memorable.
Cars, cooking, and his beloved family all made his life so rich. So like Mr. Seidel, find what you love and let those things fill your days.
The Do Now for the next lesson is to close your eyes and think of the people who make up the story of your life.
Now that you have done that, lesson #3 is to be there for the people in your life.
Once you were in Mr. Seidel’s life you were there forever. You knew this because he was always there for you.
He invited colleagues past and present for barbeques. He ran the tailgate at our staff Mets game outing. He fixed flat tires and windshield wipers, cooked meals for people, provided rides when your car was in the shop. He texted all the mothers in his life “Happy Mother’s Day”. So many of you here have a story of when Mr. Seidel was there for you. Be that person in the lives of others going forward.
Last summer my sons wanted to go fishing. I lacked both the equipment and know how to take them but I knew someone who did. I called Joe and got a reply to meet him at Bay Park the following morning; I was to bring the breakfast sandwiches and he would have everything else. He taught my boys (and me!) to fish and we had a great day. When cleaning out my garage last month I saw the rods we borrowed that day. When I told him I would get them back as soon as possible, he told me to keep them and to keep taking the boys fishing.
We reach the end of our lessons with the one that is a call to action.
Lesson #4 is to “Make Hay”
With origins in both the Bible and olde English writings, the proverb of “Make hay while the sun shines” is a lesson that has urged people to make the most of opportunities while they can for thousands of years.
In life before the efficiency of the mechanical reaper and mower (shout out APUSH content specific vocabulary) if a farmer did not take the opportunity to cut, dry and gather their hay with haste then that crop could be lost to the weather.
As you move through life, don’t lose your opportunities.
Making hay might be the expensive vacation or concert. Maybe the adventure of sky diving. But it doesn’t have to be. Sometimes it can just be a meal with friends.
As Mr. Seidel, Ms. Sardina and I were walking out of the building after the APUSH exam, just 6 weeks ago, Ms. Sardina asked if we wanted to grab lunch to mark the occasion. As always, Joe was an immediate yes but I found myself doing some quick social calculus.
It had been a long few weeks of work for me between APUSH and AP Seminar not to mention the 12 gallons of ice cream we had just scooped for the class of 2027 following the exam. Throw in my penchant for not quite being a social butterfly and I didn’t quite feel like going. However my quick calculus led me to say yes.
I’m so glad I did. We had a few laughs, decompressed after getting our latest students through the APUSH gauntlet and enjoyed each other’s company.
Say yes when you can. Do the thing.
Four final lessons from Mr. Seidel. Now can you apply them to your life?
For the non-teachers in the room, as the end of a lesson approaches, it is essential that teachers complete a check for understanding. Did the students actually “get” the content and skills covered that day? For our final lessons from Mr. Seidel there is only one way to find out.
The fist to five.
When I ask, I would like you to hold up the appropriate hand signal for your understanding of today’s lessons, with a fist meaning that you still need some help all the way up to a five which will let me know that you absolutely “got it”
Are you ready? Class of 2026, families, guests and Townsend Harris staff…
Can you be kind, follow your passions, be there for the people in your life and make hay.
Let me get a fist to five.
It looks like Mr. Seidel taught you one more lesson.
Class of 2026: In the words of Mr. Seidel: Give ‘em hell.
Thank you
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