Whether known as that one bagel guy, or as the Advanced Placement Human Geography teacher, John Hayduk, and his bagels, are a huge asset to Miami Palmetto Senior High School. The Panther had the opportunity to speak to Hayduk about his background and his personal interests in and out of school.
The Panther: When did you start teaching?
Hayduk: I started teaching in roughly 1995.
The Panther: If you could teach any other subject besides AP Human Geography, what would it be?
Hayduk: I would teach AP European History. I really like the subject matter and it does relate a lot to AP Human, but Europe is always extremely fascinating to me and it has definitely fascinated me from a historical standpoint.
The Panther: What are some of your hobbies outside of class?
Hayduk: I love to spend time with my family, my two daughters and my wife. I also really love family gatherings. They are always pretty big for me with my immediate family. I love to fish and dive, I do a lot of it with my dad and we love lobster.
The Panther: When and why did you start selling bagels?
Hayduk: I started selling [bagels] maybe about 15 years ago. It was because debate no longer wanted to sell them, so athletics just took it over. But I started selling them because it helps supplement athletics. As far as for different sporting events, it helps with uniforms, transportation and just helps buy teams things that they may not be able to afford.
The Panther: What’s it like being called the bagel guy?
Hayduk: I like it. It gives me a title. It makes it recognizable. True story, I was in Paris about 12 years ago, and I had a student walk up to me who wasn’t one of my actual students, but was somebody that used to buy bagels from me all the time. They tapped me on the shoulder, and I met one of the bagel kids in Napoleon’s tomb.
The Panther: What is your go to choice of bagel?
Hayduk: My go to choice of bagel would definitely be the Asiago bagel, which I will say, when I want a bagel, I get my bagel from the bagel shop. The woman who prepares them for me, will prepare it the way I like. She knows when I’m having a rough week. The lady that prepares the bagels will make me a plain bagel with butter, and then she puts bacon on top of it or inside of it, and gives me a bagel sandwich.
The Panther: Do you ever snack on any of the food during class?
Hayduk: I actually do not. Other than my bagel sandwich, I may eat one bagel every three or four years.
The Panther: What is it like being the Assistant Athletics Director and a teacher, and do you ever have a hard time handling both positions?
Hayduk: I love being in athletics and a teacher because since I have so many students in class, I see them as one person, and then I see them on the athletic fields as another person, and I think it helps them and myself relate on a different level. So the kids that are athletes see me differently as well, because when I’m on the field, I’m not this prim and proper and so reserved Mr. Hayduk, because I will be known to yell and scream on the field when things do not go our way, or if I think we aren’t getting a fair call. And I think it’s a great relationship that develops because they see me in a different light and I see them in a different light as well. Some days though, it becomes difficult to manage both just because I’m being pulled in so many directions. Like for example, nights became a problem since when we have football games and I’m getting home at 11 or 12 o’clock at night, and then spinning it back around and having to be [at school] and picking up your bagels at 5:30, 6 in the morning, can become a little hard sometimes.
The Panther: What are your plans after this year’s AP exam?
Hayduk: In class, we are going to start something new. The ninth graders are going to try and start their finance class online, which will help them possibly when taking additional classes next year. As long as they pass their AP exam, this will be a luxury for them in class.
The Panther: So no more Wii Tennis in class?
Hayduk: Wii Tennis is going to be put on a hiatus … Mrs. Farkas has asked that we put it on the back burner for a while, so maybe right around the end of the school year, we can get a tournament going.
The Panther: What about your plans for the summer?
Hayduk: As of right now, I’ll probably be staying in Miami. I’ll be in and off campus a lot, looking at schedules for students, but also getting athletics ready for the following year. For me, my athletic schedule basically goes pretty much throughout the year, and then it just stops come summer. So I use the summer as my chance to get ahead with buses, get ahead with just anything regarding that.
The Panther: Do you take cream cheese with your bagels?
Hayduk: No.
