LYNN — When Larry Doherty entered his St. Mary’s classroom early one recent morning, he was greeted by bags and boxes piled across several desks.
It was his birthday, and instead of getting him a single present, his colleagues had pitched in to get him a bunch of smaller gifts — one for each of his 75 years.
“I was completely surprised. I really was,” Doherty said. “The whole day was memorable.”
That afternoon, Doherty was presented with a proclamation from the St. Mary’s board of trustees declaring that March 10 would permanently be Mr. Doherty Day at the school — a fitting tribute to his 52 years as an educator.
And he has no plans to retire any time soon.
“I’ll keep teaching as long as I enjoy it and it keeps me going, and as long as I can contribute,” he said.
A lifelong Winthrop resident, Doherty came to St. Mary’s 13 years ago after 39 years at his alma mater, Dom Savio High School in East Boston, which shut down not long after he left. Both schools, coincidentally, have Spartans as their nickname.
As a student and teacher, Doherty has been associated with Catholic education for nearly 70 years, including attending St. John’s elementary school in his hometown and graduating from Boston College with a degree in English in 1968.
“I’m impressed by the moral code of the Catholic Church,” he said. “It’s all about helping kids and building character.”
Influenced by “good English teachers and a love of reading,” Doherty knew in high school what career path he would follow, and fresh out of BC he was hired by Savio. The initial job was teaching two Latin classes, but halfway through the year he had a full schedule. The following year a spot opened up in the English department.
In those first couple of years, he followed the blueprint for many new teachers: don’t ask any questions, handle your own discipline and stay at least one page ahead of the students.
“Then gradually you get into the routine. By the third year, I felt comfortable. I was teaching all English classes. I got to know the kids better, and I got to know the faculty,” he said.
Doherty has always been an early riser, and that didn’t change when he moved from Savio to St. Mary’s. Generally, he arrives at the school around 4:45 a.m., three hours before classes begin.
“I get the most done. I copy some papers. I do some correcting. I turn on the machines for everyone. It’s a nice quiet down time before classes start.”
Of course, this year has been unique because of the pandemic. Unlike most schools, St. Mary’s has been open with in-person learning since the start of the school year, and despite his advanced age, Doherty has been in his classroom every day, teaching both the students in front of him and those tuning in remotely.
“I’m more of a personal teacher in a technological world, but I think I’ve been able to adapt — everyone’s been able to adapt,” he said. “Hopefully, it will be over by the time next year rolls around.”
While he recognizes the positives that technology brings to the classroom, Doherty does have concerns about how it is affecting today’s teenagers, who he says are just as intelligent as students he’s taught through the years.
“I think they have a lot to offer, but I worry that their lives are lived on their phones, not in the real world,” he said. “They are more introverted than in the past.”
Doherty figures he has taught more than 5,000 students; he’s also coached varsity baseball, JV basketball and track. These days he can be spotted on the sidelines of athletic contests cheering on the Spartans.
He’s always believed in the importance of getting to know his students outside the classroom, through sports, clubs and other extracurricular activities. Doing so, he says, is one of the keys to being successful in the classroom.
“I think that two things any teacher needs to have in order to teach kids is to earn their respect and their trust,” he said. “If you don’t have their respect and their trust, they won’t buy into what you’re doing in class.”
While Doherty is finishing this academic year teaching seniors and sophomores, he is already involved in preparations for next year, meeting with the school’s instructional leadership team and the English department, which he chairs.
Anyone who has seen him marching briskly through the halls of St. Mary’s, greeting students and colleagues, knows that age hasn’t slowed him.
“The first one who’ll know when it’s time to retire will be me,” Doherty said. “I’ll know before anyone else.”