“I don’t do this for me; I do this for all of you,” said Mr. Fox, a graduate of the Class of 1994. Thirty years later, Mr. Fox has returned to the Hive to be the World History II teacher for the Boys Prep Division, and a role model for the future generations of Gray Bees. After graduation in ‘94, Mr. Fox attended Georgetown University in Washington D.C., earning a degree in International Economics and minoring in Islamic & Asian Studies. He later did his MBA (Master of Business Administration) at the University of Toronto. Having taught executive MBA-level courses to adults, shifting to teaching 15-17-year-olds has proven relatively easy for the veteran teacher. “[With] teaching, some of the dynamics I’m familiar with… the skills component I’ve had to do before, I have just never had to do it with 15, 16, or 17-year-olds. My biggest challenge [is that] I have to learn my audience, and ensure that your explanation and content are level appropriate.” In two months, Mr. Fox has adjusted to teaching at Saint Benedict’s but has not abandoned the lessons he learned or his experiences from when he was a student.
As time goes by, things change and evolve, including everyday life at Saint Benedict’s Prep. I was curious as to what school was like thirty years ago, so I asked Mr. Fox exactly that, and he stated, “The overall look, feel, and sounds are similar, it’s the same general idea. [However], the specifics are a bit different.”
Regardless of the number of years that have passed, Mr. Fox describes the feeling of walking back through the doors of 520 as “fresh and [familiar].” However, things have changed since the 90s and he acknowledged the need to adapt to the new culture and the everyday life of a Gray Bee today. “You still have to learn the specifics of what is being done now to understand it… I will say that I am personally fascinated with watching the Girls’ Division because it did not exist [when I was here as a student], so it’s cool to see how [the girls] are taking 150 years of the [Boys Prep Division] traditions and owning [them], making [them] your own, and creating something different.”
Once I finished my interview with Mr. Fox, I knew that the SBP community would appreciate Mr. Fox’s kindheartedness as a teacher, a trusted adult, an alumnus, and most importantly, as a role model.
