Brad Fisher, State High’s only Driver’s Education teacher, announced his retirement earlier this year after 32 years of teaching. His knowledge of the road has helped turn thousands of students into successful drivers.
Fisher grew up in Centre County, graduating from Bellefonte Area High School and attending Lock Haven University. He studied to become a teacher and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Education, with hopes of becoming a social studies teacher.
In 1992, he applied for a job at State High as a social studies teacher but quickly changed subjects after an influx of applications similar to his own.
“My major was being a social studies teacher. But at that time, there was a glut of teachers in the market. So like, when I applied here for a social studies job, there’s like 800 applicants,” Fisher said. “I applied here for the Driver’s Ed[ucation] job, and I got the extra credits to do Driver’s Ed because it makes you more marketable, right? There [were] only eight applicants. So you know, it’s easier to get a job.”
At the beginning of his teaching career, Fisher began with in-car driver’s education, something he really enjoyed.
“I spent my first 18 years teaching in-car drivers, which I really loved. I love being outside. I love working with students one-on-one. That was big…You establish relationships, which you can’t really do [inside a classroom] when you’ve got like 30 kids,” Fisher said.
The transition from in-car to in-classroom driver’s education was challenging, but Fisher took some of his experience with kids on the road and translated it into a successful classroom where young drivers can learn the rules of the road.
Health and Physical Education Coordinator Traci Edelman frequently worked with Fisher, as they were in the same department. Edelman stressed the importance of a successful Driver’s Education class for high schoolers.
“I mean, it’s such a big responsibility to drive a car and learning about it and being able to practice it and hearing it from someone other than a parent, like someone that knows what all of the laws [are],” Edelman said.
Senior Austin Orlich shared Edelman’s sentiment about the importance of the course. “I think [Driver’s Education] was pretty useful,” Orlich said about Fisher’s class. “I think, like, having [the class] before I started actually driving gave me a lot to think about, like, before I actually got behind the wheel.”
Kids are eager to get behind the wheel and begin driving, but Fisher stresses the importance of learning how to drive before actually doing it. Knowing traffic laws, how a car works and what to do in hazardous conditions are all valuable things learned in Fisher’s course.
“You know, a high school kid wants to get in the car and drive just like I did. I totally understand that, but I kind of have to…make it important to them, to understand why they’re learning the background before they actually get out there in the car,” Fisher said. “So that was the toughest part, trying to make this relevant and make it hit home that, you know, you’re going to need these skills.”
A little-known fact is that State College boasts the first-ever Driver’s Education course in the entire United States. Fisher’s course continues this legacy through unique and engaging lessons to help students learn about driving. Some of them include using frisbees to practice turning a steering wheel, wearing funky glasses to simulate being under the influence and practicing what to do in case of spinning out on the road.
“I like the thing where you like, rode on the little spinny chair,” Orlich said regarding the ‘spinning out’ activity.
Colleagues, such as Edelman, will miss Fisher’s presence at the school and are thankful for his commitment to State High.
“I’m happy for him and his family that he’s able to retire. He’s been at this a long time, and, you know, he brings a unique kind of dry sense of humor to our department that I think we will miss overall,” Edelman said.
Fisher said he was looking forward to retirement and being able to “not live [his] life at a 90-minute schedule.” While he may be retiring from teaching, Fisher’s lessons have helped thousands of accomplished drivers learn and use positive road safety.
Fisher gave one last very important piece of advice for students: wear your seatbelt.
“Probably the biggest thing that I harp on in class is wearing a seat belt because I teach kids, you know, you can go 100 miles an hour down Westerly Parkway, a lot of the time. You’re going to get away with that if there’s no police in there. But you can never beat the laws of physics. You can’t ever cheat the laws of physics. They’re in force 24/7, 365, so wear your seat belt.”
