var uslide_show_id = “0032d972-2590-4fa2-8137-a12169296c1d”;var slideshowwidth = “468”;var linktext = “Click to view more pictures”;
What do the 1990s rap group Kris Kross and high school chemistry have in common? They’re “gonna make you jump, jump,” according to Teach for America high school teacher Hunter Brown. Brown, 2005 University architecture alumnus, uses the song and its “cool” instructions to show his Scotlandville Magnet High School students how to “criss cross” electrical charges when synthesizing equations. Teach for America’s mission is to challenge high-caliber college graduates to commit two years to narrowing the educational disparity of low-income youth and building a leadership movement for the future. Brown, Baton Rouge native, postponed his imminent architecture career in favor of lesson plans, long school days and restless yet eager students. IMPACT “I want to see how many ‘super scientists’ I have in here,” Brown challenged students Tuesday when introducing a complex problem. His fourth-hour class quickly became a flurry of activity. Several students shouted “How many bonus points can we get?” “10,000,” he answered in jovial stride. Brown had been awake since 5:15 a.m. for the school’s 7:05 a.m. morning bell, but he didn’t show any signs of wearing thin. Maybe it’s because of his strict 10 p.m. bedtime. “I never thought I would turn into an old person so quickly,” Brown laughed and said. Brown’s lifestyle is a stark change from his college experience of late nights and late mornings. Brown was an actively involved University student, participating in LSU Ambassadors, Rotaract and the Art and Design Student Council. The decision to enter the Teach for America corps came after Brown’s “Reading Friend” experience at Highland Elementary School. For several years he regularly visited the school to read stories to children. “I really enjoyed it, seeing how much impact you can have on a kid,” he said. When graduation approached, he considered the similar starting wages of an architect and a teacher and opted to choose the latter. “I actually kind of wanted something different,” Brown said. “I thought, ‘A change of pace would be nice.'” A change of pace was exactly what he got. Brown said his father, an architect, was at first skeptical about his choice. “His exact words were, ‘Well, it’s your life,'” he said with a laugh. But he said his parents “really warmed up to it a whole lot” after seeing his happiness and his students’ progress. Brown, an avid statistician, makes colorful charts to display his classes’ testing progress. The goal is an 80 percent on each test, and if a student achieves that goal, his name is posted on an honorary poster displaying titles such as “Periodic Prodigies” or “Classy Chemists.” Brown’s classroom is filled with posters advocating goal achievement and scientific opportunities. “What can I do with chemistry?” is the title of one poster that features a list of various career options. The poster includes careers such as a forensics expert, NASA worker, writer, doctor and even a teacher. It’s slightly ironic that Brown, who made a C in his high school chemistry class, even ended up as a chemistry teacher. After passing the physics certification test, he became certified to teach any of nine high school science disciplines. When a chemistry position became available, he didn’t shy away from the subject that once posed a challenge in his high school days.
PROGRAM GOALS Teach for America recruiters search for “a diverse pool of people,” said Bix Gabriel, south Louisiana regional communications director for Teach for America. She said the organization, which was founded in 1990, has trained approximately 17,000 teachers and affected 2.5 million students nationwide. Gabriel said Teach for America reports that 9-year-olds in low-income community schools are on average three grade levels behind students raised in high-income communities. “It’s about building movement of future leaders who will ultimately change the systemic situation around low-income communities,” Gabriel said. “A lot of people have this misconception that this cannot be solved.” Various qualities such as commitment, leadership and dedication are sought when recruiting new teachers. The largest Teach for America corps is in New York City, which has about 4,400 members in comparison to south Louisiana’s 80 members. Gabriel said Teach for America does not pay the teachers; rather, local school districts usually pay the average starting teacher’s salary. Teachers must complete a rigorous five-week summer training before being placed in the classroom. This training consists of lesson-planning clinics and feedback from veteran teachers, she said. “This is a tough job,” she said. “We’re not trying to sugarcoat it.” Chloe Wiley, 2005 University graduate and former Homecoming Queen, spoke along with Brown on Nov. 29 about her Teach for America experience. She fielded questions from interested students at the Teach for America forum organized by campus campaign manager Eva Kemp. About 42 University alumni have participated in Teach for America since its founding. Kemp, English senior, will find out in January if she’s been accepted to Teach for America. “I truly believe in our movement,” Kemp said. “I want to make a difference in my classroom for two years, bringing all of my students to a level of success.” Wiley, who teaches at Delmont Elementary School, said her experience seeing educational “systematic problems” has been “eye-opening.” She described her role as a “counselor, educator, parent and friend.” Although she acknowledged that certain problems are “hard to see firsthand,” she said she is grateful for her experience. “If you want to see an impact, teach,” she said. “You will see it every single day.” Gabriel said Teach for America is accepting applications through teachfor-america.org until Jan. 7. Students can rank their regional preferences when applying, and she said the organization typically uses the technique of “clustering” to ensure that Teach for America teachers are not the only one in the organization at their school.
LASTING IMPACT Brown began his fourth-hour class on Tuesday by randomly calling students to the front for a homework check. “Why do you always pick me when I don’t do it?” one student jokingly asked. Of the approximate 1,300 Scotlandville students, 99 percent are black, Brown said. The school has magnet programs in engineering and business. Brown, who is in his second year in Teach for America, has immersed himself in the school. He even helps with Scotlandville’s robotics team as an extracurricular activity. Before class, he flashed announcements promoting a fundraiser for the team’s March trip to St. Louis. “We’re selling hot chocolate,” Brown said. “Fifty cents a cup and 75 cents if you want marshmallows.” Hot chocolate sales are steady, but the $10-a-day profit will be difficult to get the team to St. Louis. The team is currently searching for business sponsors, he said. Murlonae Webb, 16-year-old sophomore, said Brown is a “great teacher” because of his creative PowerPoint lectures. “I told him the other day if he could follow me around school and translate what my teachers are saying, I’d be a straight A student in my other classes instead of just in his,” she said. Webb said her favorite experiment was using Mentos and Coca-Cola to create a fizzing waterfall. “Every activity we’ve done has been full of excitement,” she said.
Webb said she prefers younger teachers to older teachers because of their presentation methods. “At first I loved having older teachers because they tell great stories from the olden days,” she said. “Then I came to high school and met all these younger teachers and realized they can relate to us as youths more.” Laterial Sawyer, 15-year-old sophomore with an A in chemistry, described Brown as “helpful and nice.” Sawyer has always liked science and math and plans to attend Xavier University as a pre-medical major specializing in orthopedics. He said he enjoys Brown’s chemistry class because younger teachers are more energetic. His favorite experiment was testing reactions by turning a penny silver. “The students like him,” Sawyer said. “He’s a pretty cool teacher.” It’s comments like these that keep Brown motivated. He said “seeing the kids succeed” is his greatest reward. “It’s little highs, like walking in and them saying, ‘Mr. Brown, you’re my favorite teacher,'” he said. “It’s fun to see them have this epiphany, like ‘Whoa. Trying in school helps?'” And trying does have its rewards in Brown’s classroom. Much to the delight of his students, Brown frequently uses pop culture references. After first playing Kris Kross’ “Jump Jump” when teaching equations, Brown had a special surprise for his students when they reached the correct solution: Tag Team’s “Whoop There It Is.”
—–Contact Amy Brittain at [email protected]