Beloved high school teacher retiring after 36 years of service

GRANTS, N.M. - Shelby Alexander, popularly known as “Mr. A,” has been a biology teacher for Grants High School for 36 years, and now, after influencing so many students and the faculty around him, he is putting up the drawing board to retire.

Alexander moved to Cibola County in 1985 and has lived here for as long as he taught at Grants High School: 36 years. Cibola County is just one of the many areas that Alexander has lived. He was born in Mississippi and went to elementary school there in Jackson, Mississippi. Later, his parents moved to Texas and he attended both middle school/junior high school and high school in Houston, Texas. After graduating high school, Alexander then began working for a company that built transmission tower lines. He had the opportunity to work on something called the Detroit Edison Project, in which they were reestablishing the transmission lines.

It was right about that time when the Vietnam War being drafted. After one drawing, Alexander received a number that indicated he was most likely going to be selected in the next draft, so he decided to look into the different military branches to see which one he was most interested in joining. Alexander always had an interest in possibly working on airplanes and carrier ships, so after speaking with and finding out more about the different branches, he decided to join the Navy. Alexander spent a total of three years in the Navy, from 1972 to 1975.

After serving in the Navy, Alexander went to New Mexico, where his parents had moved while he was away. At first, it was Alexander went backpacking in the Gila National Forest and discovered how much he liked the area. He then decided to attend school at Western New Mexico University in Silver City, New Mexico. Another current GHS teacher, Gary Miller, was teaching a Biology course at the university – one of the first courses that Alexander took – and he was intrigued right away. Alexander soon became a lab assistant for Miller in the Biology Department and continued doing so for four years as an undergraduate student while pursuing his own degree in Biology. Alexander’s exposure to field work and research during his time as an undergraduate made him consider a career as a wildlife biologist, but by the time he graduated, there were not many jobs available in that field. Alexander’s mentors at the time, including Miller, suggested that he go into teaching. His response was, “Do what?” However, after considering the idea, he decided to go ahead and get certified for teaching.

Alexander then attended graduate school at the University of Southern Illinois, as well as the University of Oregon. He taught in Santa Rosa, New Mexico for about a year and discovered that he really did enjoy teaching. He ended his personal education journey by returning to Western New Mexico University for a Master’s Degree in Biology. Alexander then taught at different places including Chinle, Arizona and Alamo, NM. That is when he became involved in helping with the science fairs. Finally, a job opening became available at Grants High School. “I came here to teach, and I’ve been here ever since,” said Alexander.

According to Alexander, his favorite part about teaching all of these years has been the interactions with the students. “It still excites me when I see that when students get it, they understand it, you make that connection with them, it inspires me to want to do that more and more,” said the teacher.

Now that he is retiring, Alexander is looking forward to having more free time, spending time with his family, do some traveling, spending time in the outdoors, and visiting his mother. He also wants to continue his involvement with the regional science fair and keep that going. Mr. A helped two students participate this year, who he said did well despite having to adapt the process to a COVID-19 world. Alexander said that he looks forward to doing a bit of outreach around the community in order to keep the science fair going.

“I really appreciate the 36 years that I’ve been here… I gravely appreciate the support I’ve had from the students. I’ve found out over the years that if you work really hard and do good things for students and they know you care about them, they’ll work hard for you and they’ll become an advocate for you in what you’re trying to do,” said the biology teacher.

Students expressed the same gratitude in return. GHS graduate Alissa Puderbaugh had this to say about Mr. A: “Mr. A was such an amazing teacher because he made that personal connection with his students. He wasn’t afraid to tell you how it is, but he was also always there to push you to be the best and support you in whatever you were doing. That relationship he made with his students in my opinion was what made him the best. As a student Mr. A pushed me to do things that I didn’t think I could achieve academically. As a person, he has inspired me to push myself past the limits. He’s played a part in teaching me what it means to be a great teacher but also what it means to be a good human.”

Another GHS alumnus, Devin Padilla-Munson added, “Mr. A's commitment to each kid that comes through his classroom really makes the difference. Mr. A has a social battery that never appears to drain. During each science fair season, he takes on twelvehour workdays. After school lets out each day, our volunteer lab mentor opens his lab up for curious pupils. Mr. A is on his feet making sure our experiments are run smoothly late into the night. Mr. A's teaching and work in science fair has provided me invaluable opportunities that accelerated my personal development. With Mr. A's guidance, science fair has taught students research, speaking, and interpersonal skills that certainly cultivates success.”

Another GHS alumna Kylee Jones said, “Mr. A was the most kindhearted, loving, and understanding teacher I ever had at GHS. He always encouraged his students to do their best and he would help in any way possible that he could. He was very smart and knew just about everything there was to know in Biology. I think the thing that made him most unique was the fact that he knew it all and if you had a question, he could give you a whole back story on how it worked. Trust me I had many questions. Mr. A has encouraged me to follow my studies in biology and become a paramedic; if it wasn’t for him, I definitely wouldn’t know anything. He impacted me by encouraging me to do my best in every subject and never give up when things got complicated. As a person he showed me how to be kindhearted and passionate about something while still having fun. Mr. A, you were the best teacher I had at GHS and it’s sad to see you leave although I am super grateful I had you as a teacher while I was in school. I wish you the best that life has to offer, and you have a great time in retirement, you truly deserve it!”

GHS alumnus and now college baseball player Andres Torrez also offered some words: “Some things that made Mr. A a great teacher was his ability to make sure everyone understood what was being taught. He taught some pretty advanced classes with some hard concepts and he had the unique ability to teach so that every student learned and understood. Mr. A had a huge impact on me for many reasons but one of the main reasons is that he always believed in me in the classroom and in life. He never gave up on any of his students and that taught me to keep pushing and never give up in life. Mr. Alexander was one of my favorite teachers with an outgoing personality and I wish nothing but the best for that man. Thank you for everything Mr. A!”

Natalie Rychener, an other past student who is now attending Texas Tech, said: “As a student, he [Mr. A] taught me so much about the world and really prepared me for the scientific career I am choosing to pursue in college. He helped me understand and perform the scientific method. As a person, he helped me grow in every aspect. Words really cannot describe the impact he's had on me. I wish him the best. He is amazing and I really hope he enjoys his retirement. I also just want to thank him for everything he has done for me. He really is an extraordinary person!”

Class of 2019 graduate Devyn Goltz said, “Mr. A was such a great teacher because he cared about his students. He cared about their education. He was always a helping hand in any struggle. He made every day a good day, and made his students excited for class. He had such a major impact on me as a student. He drove the love and the passion I have for science. He really ensured we understood the criteria. Now as a hairdresser, he is the reason I want to know every chemical reaction. He’s an amazing teacher, person and everything in between. Thank you, Mr. A for creating this love I have for learning new things. Thank you forever for sharing your knowledge and passion with us. Enjoy what life is offering you. Enjoy the rest of your journey and thank you for being a part of mine.”

GHS and UNM graduate Karishma Patel also added, “Mr. A was so unique because he would go above and beyond to help his students. I had him for all my biology classes and I always learned so much. But most of all he helped me with science fair. He would literally live at the lab with me so I could run my experiments and get the data I needed. There were times where we would get to school at 7 a.m. to work on my project, then he would let me come in during lunch to work, and then we would stay after school till almost 8 p.m. sometimes. How many teachers give up their own family time to do that? Not only did he give up his own time, but if we needed chemicals or anything, he would buy it with his own money at times. Mr. A was the biggest blessing GHS gave me. He impacted me as a student because he always believed in me and my intelligence. He always taught me that knowledge is priceless, he taught me to stay curious and to learn as much as possible because you never know when you’ll use your random skills. Being involved in science fair and learning various lab practices put me ahead of the game when I got to college because I had learned the techniques with him. As a person, Mr. A taught me to always work hard, believe in myself, and I could accomplish anything. Those are words I always live by. Mr. A is literally one of my best friends… Mr. A, thank you for all that you have done for me and the other students. You are one of my greatest role models and have had the biggest impact on my life. I am sad to see you leave because you are leaving some big shoes to fill. But I am happy that you will finally get to spend time with your family and explore the great outdoors like you love to do. Have fun fishing!”