Christopher Robert Brownlee may appear to be your average teacher, but beneath the surface is a strong, independent, outgoing man who loves his Demon community. 

Mr. Brownlee has always been a man of travel. Originally from Jordan, the Army located him in New Mexico about 12 years ago and he has loved it ever since. He has lived in New Mexico for a total of seven years and loves it for its “breathtaking mountains, Utah-like rivers, and freedom,” making it his favorite place he has lived.

Before teaching, Mr. Brownlee enjoyed his time serving in the Army as an engineer officer, where he served hunting bombs and bomb makers from August 2010 to March 2015. He served in Ghazni, Afghanistan, and Fort Leavenworth, Kan., as a maintenance officer for the prisons, and at a missile base in White Sands, N.M. 

Mr. Brownlee attended the University of Utah, where he received a bachelor’s degree in political science and a masters of business administration from Western Governors University. He enjoyed his college years and says, “The University of Utah is a fabulous school which has a beautiful campus and a good football team.”

Throughout Mr. Brownlee’s life, he always knew he wanted to be a soldier. Both of his parents were in the Army, and he took further inspiration from his fellow neighbors. He claims, “It seemed fun getting paid to have fun.”

 Once he got out of the Army, he was looking at becoming a police officer or a teacher. After further consideration of becoming an officer in D.C. he stated, “It wasn’t a good connect between the Capitol police and myself,” so he moved to Colorado to chase the money but states that, in his opinion, “Colorado sucks.” 

Mr Brownlee then came to New Mexico and pursued teaching as he likes the summertime and he likes kids, so it’s a great fit for him.

Here at Santa Fe High, Mr. Brownlee teaches U.S. history, student government, and New Mexico history. He teaches by the motto, “History doesn’t repeat, but it often rhymes.” He explains, “If we paid more attention to the past, we would be better right now.” 

Mr. Brownlee said he loves all whom he works with, including the administration and everyone in the Business Center, describing everyone as “fabulous.” This is the first school he has worked in, and he claims it will probably be his last. He plans to commit to Santa Fe High and, when he is ready to retire, he states that when he will  “call it a day.” 

“It’s a cool crew of people to hang out with,” says Mr. Brownlee. “If you’ve got to be at work, you may as well work with people who are cool.”

In his free time, Mr. Brownlee enjoys going to the gym to “throw weights around.” Despite already looking like an immovable hunk of muscle, Mr. Brownlee is known for being even stronger than he appears.

He also enjoys being outdoors and backpacking, as that’s a key component as to why he moved to New Mexico. He says, “That’s why you live in the West right? So you can do outdoor stuff.” 

Mr. Brownlee believes strongly in reading. His closing words were, “Reading is fundamental. I’m serious. There are many students who can’t read, and we all need to work on it.”