Faculty of the Week: Brad Robinson

By KEVIN THANT, LILY RAMPE, JANIBEK SUBKHANBERDIN, and HENRY WISE

A beloved teacher at Exeter, Brad Robinson teaches his physics students through his hands-on approach and kindness.

Robinson came to Exeter in 1988 after teaching earth science at a public school in Vermont before. Robinson wanted to have the opportunity to teach his real passion, physics, and Exeter presented that opportunity. After starting his career at Exeter, Robinson created what is now the Introductory Physics course and taught about electronics. Currently, Robinson lives with his wife on their farm in Brentwood, a place where Exeter’s Ecology classes take a field trip to learn about farm landscapes. 

Although Robinson has been teaching physics for over 30 years, he started his professional life with the intention of being an elementary school teacher. 

Robinson explained that a conversation with his college physics professor ended up swaying him to the path of physics. “I took physics in college to meet a graduation requirement. And I had a physics teacher who was like, ‘Well, what are you going to do with your life?’ And I told him, and he was like, ‘I think you should go into physics. I don’t think you should go into elementary education.’” 

Robinson continued, “At that same time, I was working a lot with children, trying to help them to read, and I felt like I had no idea how to teach someone to read. It’s so hard. I don’t get it at all. And physics, I got, it was logical. It was cool. And so I just switched my major to physics with the intention of becoming a high school physics teacher.”

Following that switch in his major, Robinson went to graduate school and earned a master’s degree, alongside a certification to teach physics. With that certification, he earned a job as a teacher in Vermont. Robinson explained that despite the title of ‘physics,’ his classes actually focused on an entirely different field of science. 

“I taught one section of physics. It was really quite small. About less than half the kids went on to college after high school. So not that many of them were taking physics. And so mostly I was teaching earth science, which I knew nothing about,” he said. “I taught myself different cloud types and how to identify rocks and what fault zones were, and plate tectonics and all of that stuff. I didn’t love it. They were freshmen and they were really rough kids. They were not into school.” 

Since that job failed to live up to Robinson’s expectations of being a true physics teacher, he found himself searching for job openings elsewhere. Despite his current employment in New Hampshire, Robinson and his wife loved the state of Vermont so much that they initially searched for jobs only local to the state. 

Robinson initially had no plan to come to Exeter until a New England physics conference. “Most of the attendees were teachers at the end of their careers,” Robinson remarked. “But there was one group that had a couple of young people.” 

After “hitting it off with them” and hearing about a job opening at Exeter, he applied. “Both of our parents lived in Durham, and even though we loved Vermont, the thought of being closer to all four grandparents was appealing.” 

But Robinson also loved the idea of teaching Physics and especially teaching it with a group of “motivated kids.” When asked about his favourite part about teaching at Exeter, Robinson commented, “They have amazing questions, and good senses of humour.” 

It wasn’t just the students that made Robinson love Exeter, however. “I love my colleagues,” he remarked. “I feel like our department is just, it’s got a lot of really great dedicated people.” 

“I would say when I was in Vermont that there was no one near retirement that I could look at and say, boy, I really want to be like them when I’m that age,” he reflected. “They were all so burnt out and unhappy and bitter and here it’s just the opposite. I look around and there’s so many people I think that do so well and they’re so nice and they’re so dedicated. And I just love being in that environment. 

Instructor in Biology Christopher Matlack, a longtime friend of Robinson, shared one of his favorite memories of him. “He was teaching a physics class in the old science building and we had a suspended ceiling. He put a big rope, basically like a block and tackle like a pulley, and he had a little seat. His class was not really participating and they weren’t reacting to things, so he wanted to see what they would do. So he was teaching and every few minutes he’d just lift himself up a little more to try and get a reaction out of this class. And then he’d go up a little further, no reaction, a little further. He had actually taken the ceiling tile up and well, then he just kept going. For the rest of the class, he was actually up in the ceiling. He brought his notes with him and they didn’t react, so he just kept teaching and taught the whole period up in the ceiling.” 

Matlack also mentioned the impact Robinson has had on the science department. He said, “I think he’s always been on the hands-on side of things. He had a lot to do with an electronics course here. I mean he is a very handy person and my go-to-guy for borrowing tools. I think he’s been one of the pioneers of hands-on physics at Exeter, especially regarding technology.” 

Instructor in Physics Tanya Waterman added on about Robinson’s character, calling him “kind, creative, [and] talented. He is my role model for patience and optimism.” Her favorite memories of him include “his folk music jam/practice guitar sessions with Mr. DiCarlo during lunch break.”

Robinson is a teacher beloved by all. His energy and positive attitude are always shedding light on the incredible teacher he is, and this reflects on his teaching, as he works incredibly hard in each class to teach students more about physics than they already knew. Each student he teaches appreciates his positive energy and incredible teaching, and all wish him well in his future endeavors beyond the Academy.