Farewell, Mr. Behura

By Maggie Viano ’27

After a year in the math department at Milton, Mr. Alexander Behura is heading back to California, his home state, where he plans to continue teaching math. His departure marks the end of a unique journey into high school education.

The Penn Fellow program, which places recent college graduates in teaching positions at independent schools while they earn their master’s degrees, brought Mr. Behura to Milton Academy for the 2025-2026 academic year. Before joining the Milton community, though, Mr. Behura worked as a pediatric cardiology researcher and later as an emergency medical technician (EMT) supervisor. His background in high-stakes, people-centered work certainly helped him be the patient, encouraging teacher he is today.

Mr. Behura spoke warmly of his colleagues, describing the faculty he met as “kind, caring, and interesting.” However, it was the “perseverance and tenacity” of his students that left the deepest impression. He feels “honored” that his students trusted him, allowing both him and the students to simultaneously “learn together.”

Looking back on his year at Milton, Mr. Behura describes that the highlight was “a longitudinal one.” Witnessing his students “evolve as mathematicians, mature as individuals, and strengthen their mathematical self-efficacy” was, by his account, what made the year meaningful. It is a fitting end to a year that, for Mr. Behura, seems to have been defined by the growth of both his students and himself.