In the movie Gladiator, Marcus Aurelius stated, “What we do in life echoes in eternity,” a phrase echoed by Mr. Michael Brown, a Landstown High School English teacher.
Brown is now in his 23rd year of teaching and has spent time at both Landstown and Green Run High Schools. He graduated from Miami Sunset Senior High School and went to the University of Florida.
But, he says, “After living in Miami for 20 years, I was ready to explore the world more.”
“Originally, when I was in the Army, I wanted to go to Special Forces, and there was an opportunity to, but my first wife wasn’t very keen on that idea,” he said.
After finishing high school, Mr. Brown had the future of being a physical therapy major at the University of Florida; but changed his mind, which led him to choose an education major.
He said, “The wait list into the University of Florida was so long that I decided to switch to education, since I’ve always been really good at English and writing stories, creative writing, and poetry, so that was my passion.”
After reconsidering, he switched to Old Dominion University, where he got his English Major and started teaching students at Green Run High School for three years.
His passion is to encourage students on how to write better novels, fix their grammar, and participate in class, while incorporating lots of emotion into his teaching.
With many experiences of teaching, Mr. Brown said, “I’d always wanted to teach at an academy, and when an opening occurred at Landstown, I took the opportunity and transferred from Green Run to Landstown High School.”
What also made him transfer to Landstown was his awesome assistant principal, he explained.
“Well, I was originally at Green Run High School for three years, and my assistant principal transferred over here, and she was awesome, still is awesome, and I decided to transfer with her.”
Mr. Brown also cared about the maturity level while teaching at a high school. He and his students can explore many topics together, while having appropriate conversations for older teens, rather than teaching in a middle school.
Violet Diaz, a Landstown High School freshman currently enrolled in his class, stated, “He always knows how to engage the kids and make sure that the lessons are fun and easy to do.”
Mr. Brown knows how to make learning fun by letting his students participate in class. He lets students read parts of passages, and as he reads, he includes tons of passion, making his students laugh.
“He likes to make very interactive lessons like hands-on or like teamwork activities,” said Briar Bailey, another Landstown High School freshman who is also enrolled in his class.
“He allows students to sit with their friends, but also makes sure to let all the students get their work done,” says Diaz.
In spite of going through a long journey, Mr. Brown continues to have love for his job, as he maintains a funny personality and constructive teaching ability to impact his students.
While always being in a safe environment filled with students who love his teaching, Mr. Brown knows how to keep his students entertained, while keeping them focused and being in a room where they don’t feel excluded.
