Alexander Mann once walked the halls of LFHS as a student. Who would have guessed that years later, he would return not only as a football coach, but as a Law teacher.
Before returning to Lake Forest as an educator, Mann graduated from the University of Michigan where majored in history and economics. He then went on to earn his law degree from Loyola University Chicago.
Law school is notoriously rigorous, demanding, and even a bit scary. Despite its intimidating reputation, Mann rose to the challenge, dedicating a decade to his legal journey, passing the bar, and ultimately earning his law license.
“Something intimidating about law school is that, in some ways, you are competing against your classmates. Most law schools only have about two or three hundred students per class, and all of the students are bright and motivated,” Mann said. “It taught me to think critically and analyze problems or issues in new ways.”
Despite his success in practicing law, after the pandemic and thousands of pages of reading later, Mann found himself wanting to go in a different direction.
“I got a little burnt out and tired of practicing law. Money is usually the primary motivation for a job and I wasn’t making enough to the point where it was worth being unhappy doing it,” Mann said. “I stepped back and thought about what I really would enjoy doing. One of the things that I didn’t have a lot of in my legal practice was human engagement. Much of it is reviewing, negotiating and drafting documents.”
Mann had always felt a strong connection to the sports program at LFHS—especially football—so he decided to explore a new path in coaching and teaching. Although not having taught anywhere before and having a limited network of people, he took on the challenge.
Lucky for LFHS, he eventually got into contact with the recently retired head Varsity coach of the football team, Chuck Spagnoli.
“Spagnoli said it would be great if I wanted to volunteer for a year and help the team, so I was very fortunate to be able to do that. While I was doing that, I was getting my masters in teaching, to pair that with the coaching career,” Mann said.
Spagnoli admires Mann’s commitment to making a positive impact on everyone around him.
“Mr Mann is always interested in the well being of those around him. As a coach and a teacher he is very detailed, helps lead others to succeed, and always has the students/athletes best interest as a priority,” he said.
Before being offered a full-time teaching position at LFHS, he spent a year gaining experience at Antioch High School.
He taught US history, world history, as well as AP economics but when there was an opening at LFHS for law, he took it!
One of the hardest parts of becoming a teacher can ironically be the teaching part. It may be easy to know a lot about a subject but teaching to a bunch of teenagers – who might not even be listening – is a whole other skill, according to Mann.
As a relatively new teacher, Mann is still learning the ropes and growing everyday.
“Any profession is something you get better at overtime. I have some content expertise but the skill of teaching is something I am still learning about. I’m lucky to have many people in this building who are very skilled to learn from,” Mann said.
Clearly, Mann has nothing to worry about as he has already had a lasting impression on his students.
“Mr Mann brings real law into the classroom. Whether it’s going to a real court room, or bringing the mock trials into class, it makes everyone engaged and excited about the material being taught,” junior Law Honors student Sophia Brincat said.
And if teaching at LFHS wasn’t impressive enough, Mann also teaches a political science/intro to law class to undergraduates at Loyola University Chicago and has a background in history.
No matter what school he is teaching in, he always appreciates the LFHS environment and the drive of its students.
“I am always seeking to motivate students but students here for the most part are motivated all by themselves. I’m sure there are a lot of great schools in this area and in this country but I do believe Lake Forest is unique and I am grateful to have the opportunity to work here,” he said.
