New history teacher Fahim Rahman breaks the stereotypical teaching mold as he embarks on his career at The Hill during the 2023-2024 school year.
Rahman was born in San Antonio, Texas. At the age of four, he moved to the suburbs of Saint Louis, Illinois, and eventually settled here, in Richmond, Virginia. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from William & Mary, a Master of Arts in History from Northeastern University, and a Master of Teaching in Secondary Education and Teaching from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Rahman’s love for history, and his heart to share it with the world, led him into teaching.
“History is not just facts from the past, but it can be useful in a way,” Rahman said. “The education system in the United States has been struggling, and I just wanted to do my part for a little bit.”
His first year at The Hill finds him teaching ninth-grade honors world history and eleventh-grade U.S. history. Rahman’s dedication to his students’ success is evident in his approach to teaching. He finds the most rewarding aspect of his profession to be witnessing the spark of understanding in his students’ eyes.
“Kids need to know that people care about them,” Rahman said. “I want my kids to feel like they can trust me, and that my classroom can be a safe space for them to grow.”
Beyond the classroom, Rahman can be found playing four square at Albert Hill Middle School on Wednesdays. Inspired by nostalgic conversations with a former museum colleague about the joys of recess, Rahman launched rva4square, an Instagram-based group (@rva4square) dedicated to organizing four square games and fostering a sense of community among participants. The game involves hitting a ball into one of four quadrants on a square-shaped court, ensuring it bounces only once within the player’s quadrant. Initially, the group attracted a diverse crowd, but the number of regular participants has since stabilized.
“She was saying she really missed how fun recess was back in the day,” Rahman said. “I was like, ‘Why don’t we start a four square league or something?’”
Along with running an adult four square league, in his free time, Rahman finds time to create music. Beginning as a collaboration with friends, this project has more recently seen him writing whatever comes to mind, often inspired by his feelings and thoughts. In the past, Rahman has written indie pop, rock and R&B.
“I kind of like to mold music around different feelings I may have,” Rahman said. “I don’t think music should be something that’s like ‘No we have to write something every single time!’ ”
Rahman also enjoys cooking and the way it brings people together. He enjoys making Mediterranean food and Turkish food, especially dolmades. In an effort to spend more time with his parents, Rahman has been learning to make South Asian and Bengali food with his mom.
“I really like to cook. I think food is the best thing in the world,” Rahman said. “I kind of try to expose myself to a lot of different cultures.”
Rahman and his friend started a book club that meets on a monthly basis. He said if he had to choose one book to read for the rest of his life it would be Ishmael by Daniel Quinn.
“All the book clubs that we keep on hearing about are from middle-aged moms,” said Rahman. “We said ‘Let’s just start our own.’ ”
As Rahman navigates his new role at The Hill, he serves as a reminder to take breaks when needed, never take things for granted, and avoid getting bogged down by life’s insignificant details.
“It takes zero dollars to chill out,” Rahman said.
