By Eddie Lopez
If you’ve ever wandered past the B building, chances are you’ve heard a booming, “HEY BUB!” (or one of its many variations) echoing through the hallways. That’s the unmistakable sound of Mr. Frazier sparking up the hallways. Those who have had him as a teacher get to experience the high energy, high passion character that is: Mr. Frazier.
But what students don’t realize is that going on his 33rd year at Columbus, Mr. Frazier is much more than just a Geometry teacher.
Mr. Frazier the Athlete
Starting his high school career, he was a four-sport athlete at South Dade Senior High School.
Participating in golf, baseball, basketball and cross country and earning a letter in all sports, he realized the importance of being active and the rarity of his feat.
”Nowadays, you can’t do that because of the timing,” said Frazier.
His baseball talent though, is what ultimately got him a scholarship to play at the University of Central Florida.
“Really when you’re 5"9, you quit playing basketball if you’re better at baseball. I really started focusing on baseball and I got a scholarship to the University of Central Florida (also known as the University of Charles Frazier),” he said.
Studying operations technology at UCF, he hoped to unite both math and his people skills in a profession, but as life would have it, he quickly found out that his specialty is in something else.
So how did he end up at Columbus?
“My senior year in college I had a job working at a construction company. They had software that you could see the model in 3-D and I would do redline changes…I realized I needed to work with people and I needed to be with people,” he said.
He did exactly that, joining his alma mater once again but this time as a substitute teacher. As the school days went on and Frazier started receiving compliments, he realized he might have found his calling.
“I would help the kids and they said that I was better than the real teacher, they were probably just trying to be nice. Later on, the math teachers would actually ask for me to sub the class so then I said, 'ok, this is kind of nice',” Frazier said.
One conversation with his friend Coach Weber came about that would forever change not only his life but also the lives of all of his students.
“My good friend Coach Joe Weber, was working at Columbus as an assistant pitching coach. We had played some baseball together. He said ‘hey, we're hiring a math teacher, why don’t you come in for an interview?’,” he said.
Although he was hesitant at first, Frazier finally gave in and interviewed for the position. His first interview with Brother Kevin served as some irony.
“The one thing he told me ‘I’m gonna hire you but I don’t want you here’, because he thought I was gonna be here for a year or two and find another job and leave,” he said
Falling in love with teaching, Frazier turned the opportunity into a three decade journey.
Teaching Style and Catchphrase
His teaching style is unique, almost Kramer-esque, but there is a method behind his madness.
"My teaching style is a little bit crazy. It's controlled chaos, but I entertain to draw attention, and then, while I have your attention, we do math. So I make that connection with the students by walking around and getting everybody involved," he said. "One of my goals is for a student not to say, 'Oh crap, I have Frazier now.' Instead, I want them to say, 'Oh good, I have Frazier’s class now.' It's almost like a relief, and for a math class, that is a big accomplishment," he said.
Students speak highly of the value of his teaching style.
"One thing I appreciate about Mr. Frazier's teaching style is that he rewards hard work. If you put in the effort, he goes out of his way, even when it’s inconvenient for him, to make sure you understand the material,” said Sophomore Eddie Gutierrez.
Frazier has managed to infiltrate the vocabulary of the whole school with his “bub”, but the lore behind his favorite phrase goes back to his high school years.
“The original ‘bub’ comes from one of my good friends in high school’s father because he always said it and then I got it included the ‘hey bub’ in there and of course, I have different variations of it,” said Frazier. “I think I actually started overusing it because I'm not very good with names, I'm more of a facial guy…so it kind of gave me a way out of trying to memorize names."
Educating Past the Bell
Looking past his passionate teaching style, his role as a father has brought him a new understanding as an educator.
“Being a father did have an effect on me. It empowered me to be more understanding,” he said.
Frazier takes the opportunity to share his family life with his students, teaching them the value of being a good father so they can apply it later on in life.
“When I’m teaching a lot of times I’m pulling up pictures of my family to share with the class and that is one of the things that I like to do. I show how much pride I have in being a good father and how important it is to be a good father and there is nothing more rewarding than doing so,” he added.
It seems that everyone who encounters him has a story about his effect on their development from faculty to students.
“Mr. Frazier has a lot of love for everyone he comes around. A couple of years ago, when I moved next to him, he took a special interest in me and I don’t know why to be honest with you. I was out of shape and I was not good at golf, but he wanted to help me with my golf game which propelled me to want to get fit. He is always filled with positive energy and always encourages me throughout my whole journey. I don’t know if without his push, I would have even developed myself as a person,” said Mr. Machado
“Frazier is a jack of all trades, he's got interesting hobbies and he's actually really good and talented at all of them. He’s been a mentor to me, mostly in the classroom, learning how to appreciate and understand all types of kids,” said Mr. Casals.
“Mr. Frazier taught me the value of hard work and perseverance. Before his Honors Geometry class, I didn’t put much effort to get the grades I wanted at Columbus. His tests and quizzes made me realize I needed to dedicate extra hours, before and after school, to ask questions and prepare for tests," Gutierrez added.
Mr. Frazier’s influence extends beyond the classroom, shaping students and colleagues alike. Through his dedication to teaching, mentorship and personal connections, he has left a lasting impression on the Columbus community. His passion for education and commitment to his students reflect the core values of a Marist educator.
Pictures provided by Mr. Frazier
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