Have you met RMA’s new Upper School teacher, Mr. Brite? If not, you can find him on P Hall beside Mr. Tucker’s office or the football field, but here’s another chance to get to know him!
This year, Mr. Brite is teaching American History–history was his favorite subject when he was in high school–and Freshman Transition, as well as helping with Sports Management. He is a very enthusiastic educator with a teaching style that he describes as Socratic, which means encouraging open discussion and critical thinking in the classroom; he wants to lead students to the answer instead of just telling them!
It’s obvious that Mr. Brite really wants what’s best for his students, and he’ll do what he believes will help them to be their best, such as encouraging us to “take full advantage of [our] high school experience, including sports, clubs, and all activities.” This is one reason he is not just a teacher but also a coach who believes in “old-school tough love” on the football field. For now, Mr. Brite is assisting Coach Cobb with our JV football team, but he has a background in basketball and baseball too: he played football, basketball, and baseball throughout his high school years at Northeastern High School in Elizabeth City. In addition, he played football at Guilford College for two years. JV player Alex Butler (9th) says, “He’s a great coach who cares for us and teaches us many new skills.”
Despite loving his career as a teacher, Mr. Brite originally wanted to become a lawyer of some sort, but found his passion in teaching and has been in education for decades now. Prior to teaching at RMA, he taught at North East Carolina Preparatory School (in Tarboro), Halifax Academy, and Tarboro High School. After retiring from being an assistant principal for 24 years, he wanted to coach and teach at RMA because of its great reputation.
Aside from teaching, Mr. Brite has a love for traveling. He has visited Uganda, Africa, Japan, and various countries in Europe. He was most impressed by seeing how clean Tokyo, Japan, was, considering it is home to 14 million people, and by seeing 500-year-old buildings in Europe that make our own country seem so new. He is most passionate about travel because he knows it enriches our lives to learn about how others live–an idea you can read about in an upcoming article about RMA’s Global Studies Honors Program.
As you can see, Mr. Brite is, as Upper School Head Mr. Tucker says, “a great addition to the RMA family. Coach Brite is an educator who cares deeply about his students and players” and embodies the values that make RMA so special. Welcome, Mr. Brite; we’re happy to have you!
