Enjoy a Q & A with Heath Alexander, FBRA Boys Program Social Studies Teacher and infinitely curious and interesting human being!
What inspired you to become a teacher?
I became a teacher because of the impact of my high school AP U.S. History teacher. Mr. Anderson taught me how to think critically and I have been forever grateful. His class was always a place of intellectual thrill for me. He took my ideas seriously and challenged me to develop my own arguments about whatever topic we were studying. He profoundly influenced how I think about the world. We have stayed in touch over the years and he has become a close friend. I always wanted to have the opportunity to have a similar impact on students.
How long have you been teaching and why did you choose to teach at FBRA?
This is my 12th year teaching. I started my teaching career at Enka High school where I taught for 6 years. I was always interested in incorporating outdoor adventure instruction into how I connected with students. At Enka, I started a rock climbing program where I taught students how to climb and then took them out to a crag once a month. I developed incredible connections with my students through rock climbing. I decided that I wanted to dig deeper into facilitating outdoor education than Enka was willing to support and so I started looking for somewhere that would nurture me both as an academic and experiential educator. This search led me to FBRA. After my first phone call with Andrew Holcombe, the former program director, I knew I had found my home. FBRA fully aligned with my values and would allow me to pursue all of the goals I have both in the classroom and in the outdoor environment. I am now in my sixth year at FBRA and it has been such a fun, wild ride.
If you could have lunch with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?
Teddy Roosevelt! He led the most interesting life. For example, he completed a canoe first descent of an uncharted river in the Amazon…after having been the president of the United States. He was famous as a raconteur and reportedly kept audiences spell-bound all night with his wild tales. He voraciously read everything he could get his hands on and had well-informed opinions on absolutely everything. I would love to hear some of his stories first-hand.
What is the first concert you ever attended?
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band! My parents are big fans of Bruce and reportedly played his music to soothe me when I cried as a baby. They took me to see him play whenever he came to Charlotte. My earliest memory of going to a concert is seeing the Boss on stage.
What superpower would you choose if you could have one?
Instantaneous speed reading of books with complete retention. I want to know about so many things and I feel like I just don’t have enough time and then I forget so much of what I learn. I would love to be able to just devour information and then be able to use it.
What is the craziest job you have ever had?
I spent a few years working in corporate sales selling industrial storage cabinets for Stanley Black & Decker. I drove around to factories, car dealerships, military bases, research labs, and any other place that had large inventories of small parts. I would measure all of their equipment and design custom storage solutions for them. I had a territory all over NC and VA. It was really interesting to see how so many companies worked. However, I always felt like I was lacking some sort of deep purpose in what I did. So I left that job to go to grad school to become a teacher and I never looked back.
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
I want to visit the Himalayas someday. I would just love to see what the largest mountain range on earth is like. Last summer I spent a week paddling a wild river in Alaska and I was just so blown away by the scale of the mountains. We flew in bush planes to get to the put-in at a glacial lake just below a giant confluence of glaciers. Flying over the mountains and then riding their drainages totally inspired me with the power of a giant mountain range. That experience made me want to see what even more epic terrain on this planet might be like.
What is your favorite thing to do when you are not teaching at FBRA?
Go kayaking with other FBRA teachers! Kayaking is like riding a rollercoaster that you control. The better you get, the more fun things you can do on that rollercoaster. I am so fortunate to work with so many brilliant boaters who teach me so much whenever I get an opportunity to get out and play on a river with them.
Pictured from top left: Heath teaching underwater composure PE, Heath with his advisory group, Heath in Costa Rica last spring with our 7th graders, Heath and other staff at FBRA Boys graduation.
