Written by Melanie Coretti |
Photos by Melanie Coretti |

Year after year, mathematics teacher Alan Samet has claimed his retirement was coming close. Yet, Mr. Samet is still teaching at Morgan. Mr. Samet has been a part of the Morgan family for 40 years, which he says is, “scary.” He has had a profound impact on the school, and students have nothing but great things to say about him.

When Mr. Samet was asked why he has been here for so long, he simply responded, “The kids are family to me. They’re beyond fabulous, best on the shoreline.” Throughout his forty years, Mr. Samet said his most memorable year was, “probably in 2011. I taught an integrated math class with some students that drove me crazy.” He also added that he loves seeing his past students out in public because “I love seeing these kids turn into real people.” Mr. Samet attributes his success to, “clean living and a fast outfield.”

The students at Morgan have nothing but great things to say about Mr. Samet. Senior Mike Menacho was a student of Mr. Samet’s for two years. Mike shared some of his fondest experiences while in Mr. Samet’s class, “The first day I ever met him I was a little freaked out because he was wearing jeans with sandals.” When asked why he believes Mr. Samet has been teaching for as long as he has, he said, “He genuinely enjoys teaching, I know teachers who hate teaching, and I just don’t get that vibe from him.” Mike also shared, “Mr. Samet is one of very few teachers I feel I can get real with.” 

Senior Rebecca Cockley remarked about Mr. Samet’s ability to connect with students. She said, “He likes teaching the kids, and he enjoys teaching. You can tell he’s genuinely interested in what he is teaching, and he wants each kid in his class to do well.” One memory she has from his class was, “Mr. Samet telling the same student to walk on down to guidance, knock on the door and ask to drop down a level, sarcastically, of course.” Rebecca added, “He’s a great teacher, and he is always there for kids. He is never judgemental if you don’t understand a problem. His door is always open.”

Senior Simon Hua also had great things to say about Mr. Samet. One memory he shared was, “One time, he broke out into singing Moon River by Henry Mancini, and I started singing it with him. I thought it was a bonding moment and that it was very sweet.” Simon said, “I get the feeling that he loves the students more than he leads on. You can tell he really cares that we are all learning, growing, and are happy.”

Mr. Samet is a vital part of the Morgan family and the students’ lives.