Faculty of the Week: Kaitlyn Martin-Fox
By ALLEGRA LAI, MARVIN SHIM, and ISHAAN SINGH
Kaitlyn Martin Fox has been at the Academy as a member of the Religion, Ethics, and Philosophy Department since 2020. Aside from her role as an instructor, Martin Fox has also directed and choreographed Exeter’s performing arts, including the New Plays ensemble in the fall. Martin Fox also advises Exonians Against Sexual Assault (EASA), is a recipient of the Academy’s new teacher award, and is an irreplaceable part of the Bancroft community as dorm faculty. Whether she’s dancing up a storm in her Imagining Your Future class or rock climbing with colleague Michele Chapman, Martin Fox has quickly become a beloved part of the Exeter community.
“I grew up in public school in Abilene, Texas, and had no idea that boarding schools existed except in storybooks,” Martin Fox said. “But when I was working and finishing my PhD at Boston University, I heard from a colleague who worked at Andover about boarding schools. He was someone who taught in the religion department there and then also worked in theater. And that was something that was really exciting to me because I had a similar interest of wanting to be able to teach, but also to be able to do performing arts.”
Martin Fox’s love for teaching religion comes from her curiosity about how people experience life and the world. “I’ve always had a lot of big questions about what it means to be human—how do we live good lives, and how to care for one another?” she said. “And I found that studying religion was a really great way for me to ask those questions, to think about them myself, but also to think about the really wide diversity of how people throughout history and in the present think about big questions about how to live good lives and all the other really big questions that go with it.”
“She really had a way of making us feel comfortable in the classroom,” lower Mathilde Senter described. “She showed me that you can have a fun time while learning. This was one of the first times I’ve seen this in a classroom at Exeter, and it was really refreshing.”
“Her class finds the perfect balance between allowing students to learn more about religion and pop culture and these connections and not being too strenuous,” lower Katie Hu echoed. “I think her class creates a very comfortable environment that allows kids to explore their thoughts and not be afraid to share them.”
One of Martin Fox’s favorite parts of Exeter is the ways people build community. “One event that comes to mind is the faculty cabaret that they do in the Theater and Dance Department. They have an open mic night where people can come share stories or sing songs or perform poetry or do those types of things,” Martin Fox said.
One of Martin Fox’s favorite memories comes from her role as a dorm faculty of Bancroft. “Last year on the very last night of the school year in Bancroft, we had a dorm EP, which is just a time when students in the dorm come together and sing songs,” she said. “And we had four or five people playing guitar and everyone else singing along. That feeling of just singing and being silly and having fun with music, with people in my dorm, is a really wonderful memory I have. It is also a great way to end the school year and celebrate what we had done, but also to say goodbye to our seniors.”
Upper Aveen Burney, Martin Fox’s advisee also noted that Dorm EP was one of her favorite memories with her. In addition, she stated, “Doc Fox is one of the greatest, she brings out the kid in me and I feel so lucky to have her as my advisor. Her sense of wonder and playfulness and amazing musical skills inspire me to be me.”
Her colleagues shared similarly positive experiences with Martin Fox. “My favorite moment with her is whenever we get the chance to bond over our favorite UK comedians and panel shows,” Instructor in Religion Hina Muneeruddin said. “Or our philosophical deep dive on Fleabag for about two hours while we stood in a random vintage shop in Portsmouth.”
“I have undoubtedly become a better teacher and friend by having her in my life. Dr. Martin Fox is one of the best teachers I know and you can just feel the passion she has for it in the energy she brings to her students. Overall, I continue to be inspired by Dr. Martin Fox and look forward to the growth of our friendship,” Muneeruddin continued.
Equally, Martin Fox also showed her appreciation to her fellow instructors at Exeter, including Instructor in Biology Christopher Matlack, whose Ornithology excursions Martin Fox has participated in. “I’ve really enjoyed that there are lots of people who want to be teachers to other people here,” Martin Fox said. “So learning rock climbing from Ms. Chapman or learning birding from Mr. Matlack, or even just conversations I have with other people, faculty, and students. I feel like I’m always getting to learn a lot here and that feels really good.”
Dr. Martin-Fox smiles for a photo
Photo Courtesy of Exeter Communications