Alan Chau
Editor '19
Mr. Ragot: Social Studies Teacher, Cyclist, Cat Lover
Looking past his unbelievably toned calves and extensive knowledge of the entire expanse of human history, social studies teacher, Eric “TheGoo” Ragot seems like a normal guy. From the outside, he may look like a tall, lanky Denzel Crocker cosplayer; however, there is more to him than just his looks. For one, he is a proud father, a cat lover, and an enthusiast for all things bicycle related.
As for work, this year, in addition to teaching Regents U.S. History, Regents World History, and AP U.S. History, Ragot is taking on the burden of teaching the entirety of the AP World students in the Sophomore class. That is right, all 75 of those AP cram-book carrying pretentious whiners. This large class size, paired with the insurmountable amount of attention needed per student, requires Ragot to approach teaching very differently than most teachers.
Each class, Ragot brings a certain element of spontaneity and excitement to his students, nothing short of an AP World Class. From the universally dreaded surprise SAQ, to his elaborate classroom antics, Mr. Ragot is doing all that he can to make his students succeed.
But there is more to him than just Social Studies and elaborate gesticulations. He carries a more human side. Before coming to Great Neck, Mr. Ragot was working in the judicial system.
“I was practicing law for three years, and working as a clerk before that,” Ragot said. Even after all of the cram and time spent in law school, Mr. Ragot had a certain change of heart and decided to go for something that he personally wanted to pursue. The career of a teacher.
“I found the occupation as a teacher more varied than the practice of law. I thought about experiences I had working with younger attorneys or interns whenever I was clerking and I found that I really enjoyed the times when I was in a teaching/mentoring role, so I decided to just leave and enter teaching,” Ragot said. He then humorously added: “The only other thing I thought about was cooking, but I knew that wouldn’t work out.”
This sudden change was not without its detriment however, as Ragot recalls how he started off teaching and how it, ultimately, worked out for him: “I spent so much time really practicing law that it was difficult at first to make a change, but I’m glad I choose teaching. I went to Brooklyn College and I, right away, started student teaching for a year. And I really liked it. It made me work super hard because everyday was a new challenge and you meet so many new people and students. It’s provided a much more diverse career than when I was practicing law.”
However, a staple throughout all of Mr. Ragot’s career choice changes was his love for biking. It is no secret that Ragot is obsessed with cycling. So much so that he still has time to devote to his competitive bicycle racing team and use to commute to work on bike from the city. But this love for biking had to start somewhere.
“When I was young, I rode a bicycle everywhere. I grew up at Suffolk county and I grew up riding bicycles. I started riding bicycles to school in sixth grade and I would ride through rain, sleet, snow, hail. It didn’t matter. I remember in high school I got to school one day, the roads were all slippery getting to school, and there was one person in school. Turns out school had been canceled because the roads were all ice. I still showed up like ‘Alright I’m here’. I’d wear a garbage bag as a poncho. At lunch if it were raining, it didn’t matter, I’d put my garbage bag on and ride to my friends house, to the deli and then ride back.” Ragot said.
This love for biking slowly manifested into a love for competitive cycling. “When I was in law school, I wasn’t riding, I was living in the city, and I was out visiting my parents in suffolk and the Montauk Century was going by and I was like ‘huh, I would like to do that. And so I got my old ten speed and I got it tuned up and started riding it and, bought a nicer bicycle and I never did the montauk century, 20 seasons later [I] still haven't done a Montauk Century. But once I started having that better bicycle I lived near prospect park in Brooklyn and I started riding with people who used to race and I tried racing. I started riding bicycles and in May bought a good bicycle. In July [I bought my] third, and was doing my first race by the end of July and it didn’t go well. I can’t tell you today why I still do it. It’s a part of who I am. Despite having done many things on the bicycle: racing at a national level, competing at the national championships, and doing very well in the state championships, I’ve done it a lot and I still do it because I find it a lot of fun. And enjoyable.”
There is a sentimental side to Ragot, a side that not many people see. Beyond his brains and biking brawns, he’s a person with a lot of heart. When asked if he liked children, Ragot aptly said, “As for not liking children, I‘m not too sure where that would come from. I dearly love my child at home, but, in part, I do love kids and I do love my kid also. I’m here a lot and I spend a lot of time with students and I also like spending time with my family and surprisingly very few students actually ask me to go and do things. It’s difficult to live in the city, to go back and forth in order to do things. My wife also works and her hours don’t combine well with mine. It makes scheduling difficult and it has nothing to do with not liking students; I like students a great deal, and the time with the Model U.N.ers and I spend a lot of time with students outside of class as they come to hang around before school or after school or during school and hear me talk. I love students, but, now if you ask me if I wanna be a kindergarten teacher, the answer is no.”
From all of his experiences, Ragot seems to have it all together. But that is far from the truth. In fact, that is his life philosophy.
“You shouldn’t know what you’re doing with your life at 15 or 16 or 17, you should explore the world, you should explore what’s out there, you shouldn’t be worried about how people judge you so much. Find yourself and be confident with yourself, find the things you love to do and try to find a way to make a living out of that.”
From law school, to bouncing from school to school teaching, to long-distance marathon cycling, Ragot seems to live by his advice. Lastly, he has something to say to students.
“Enjoy it. Enjoy it, whatever it is. And you can’t fix what you’ve done wrong. You can’t undo them. They’re done, you can only make what you have better.”
Editor '19
Mr. Ragot: Social Studies Teacher, Cyclist, Cat Lover
Looking past his unbelievably toned calves and extensive knowledge of the entire expanse of human history, social studies teacher, Eric “TheGoo” Ragot seems like a normal guy. From the outside, he may look like a tall, lanky Denzel Crocker cosplayer; however, there is more to him than just his looks. For one, he is a proud father, a cat lover, and an enthusiast for all things bicycle related.
As for work, this year, in addition to teaching Regents U.S. History, Regents World History, and AP U.S. History, Ragot is taking on the burden of teaching the entirety of the AP World students in the Sophomore class. That is right, all 75 of those AP cram-book carrying pretentious whiners. This large class size, paired with the insurmountable amount of attention needed per student, requires Ragot to approach teaching very differently than most teachers.
Each class, Ragot brings a certain element of spontaneity and excitement to his students, nothing short of an AP World Class. From the universally dreaded surprise SAQ, to his elaborate classroom antics, Mr. Ragot is doing all that he can to make his students succeed.
But there is more to him than just Social Studies and elaborate gesticulations. He carries a more human side. Before coming to Great Neck, Mr. Ragot was working in the judicial system.
“I was practicing law for three years, and working as a clerk before that,” Ragot said. Even after all of the cram and time spent in law school, Mr. Ragot had a certain change of heart and decided to go for something that he personally wanted to pursue. The career of a teacher.
“I found the occupation as a teacher more varied than the practice of law. I thought about experiences I had working with younger attorneys or interns whenever I was clerking and I found that I really enjoyed the times when I was in a teaching/mentoring role, so I decided to just leave and enter teaching,” Ragot said. He then humorously added: “The only other thing I thought about was cooking, but I knew that wouldn’t work out.”
This sudden change was not without its detriment however, as Ragot recalls how he started off teaching and how it, ultimately, worked out for him: “I spent so much time really practicing law that it was difficult at first to make a change, but I’m glad I choose teaching. I went to Brooklyn College and I, right away, started student teaching for a year. And I really liked it. It made me work super hard because everyday was a new challenge and you meet so many new people and students. It’s provided a much more diverse career than when I was practicing law.”
However, a staple throughout all of Mr. Ragot’s career choice changes was his love for biking. It is no secret that Ragot is obsessed with cycling. So much so that he still has time to devote to his competitive bicycle racing team and use to commute to work on bike from the city. But this love for biking had to start somewhere.
“When I was young, I rode a bicycle everywhere. I grew up at Suffolk county and I grew up riding bicycles. I started riding bicycles to school in sixth grade and I would ride through rain, sleet, snow, hail. It didn’t matter. I remember in high school I got to school one day, the roads were all slippery getting to school, and there was one person in school. Turns out school had been canceled because the roads were all ice. I still showed up like ‘Alright I’m here’. I’d wear a garbage bag as a poncho. At lunch if it were raining, it didn’t matter, I’d put my garbage bag on and ride to my friends house, to the deli and then ride back.” Ragot said.
This love for biking slowly manifested into a love for competitive cycling. “When I was in law school, I wasn’t riding, I was living in the city, and I was out visiting my parents in suffolk and the Montauk Century was going by and I was like ‘huh, I would like to do that. And so I got my old ten speed and I got it tuned up and started riding it and, bought a nicer bicycle and I never did the montauk century, 20 seasons later [I] still haven't done a Montauk Century. But once I started having that better bicycle I lived near prospect park in Brooklyn and I started riding with people who used to race and I tried racing. I started riding bicycles and in May bought a good bicycle. In July [I bought my] third, and was doing my first race by the end of July and it didn’t go well. I can’t tell you today why I still do it. It’s a part of who I am. Despite having done many things on the bicycle: racing at a national level, competing at the national championships, and doing very well in the state championships, I’ve done it a lot and I still do it because I find it a lot of fun. And enjoyable.”
There is a sentimental side to Ragot, a side that not many people see. Beyond his brains and biking brawns, he’s a person with a lot of heart. When asked if he liked children, Ragot aptly said, “As for not liking children, I‘m not too sure where that would come from. I dearly love my child at home, but, in part, I do love kids and I do love my kid also. I’m here a lot and I spend a lot of time with students and I also like spending time with my family and surprisingly very few students actually ask me to go and do things. It’s difficult to live in the city, to go back and forth in order to do things. My wife also works and her hours don’t combine well with mine. It makes scheduling difficult and it has nothing to do with not liking students; I like students a great deal, and the time with the Model U.N.ers and I spend a lot of time with students outside of class as they come to hang around before school or after school or during school and hear me talk. I love students, but, now if you ask me if I wanna be a kindergarten teacher, the answer is no.”
From all of his experiences, Ragot seems to have it all together. But that is far from the truth. In fact, that is his life philosophy.
“You shouldn’t know what you’re doing with your life at 15 or 16 or 17, you should explore the world, you should explore what’s out there, you shouldn’t be worried about how people judge you so much. Find yourself and be confident with yourself, find the things you love to do and try to find a way to make a living out of that.”
From law school, to bouncing from school to school teaching, to long-distance marathon cycling, Ragot seems to live by his advice. Lastly, he has something to say to students.
“Enjoy it. Enjoy it, whatever it is. And you can’t fix what you’ve done wrong. You can’t undo them. They’re done, you can only make what you have better.”