Photo courtesy of Jennifer Brown.
Jennifer Brown on a recent trip to Washington, D.C., to discuss education with legislators and other states’ teachers of the year.
Casually chatting with the vice president of the United States was never a feat Jennifer Brown intended to reach when she began her career as a high school teacher 17 years ago. That’s exactly what she did, however, after she was named Alabama’s 2015-2016 Teacher of the Year.
After making it through a rigorous selection process that involved several rounds of interviews — not to mention competing with some of the state’s best educators — Brown officially was named Alabama’s Teacher of the Year on May 13, 2015.
“I cried that day,” said Brown, who has been teaching 10th grade physical science at Vestavia Hills High School for 14 years.
The next day, Brown received a prepaid car with an “Alabama Teacher of the Year” logo stamped on the side, along with an agenda that would chart her course for the next year. On that agenda were trips to San Antonio, Washington, D.C., and other locations where she would meet teachers from other states who received the same accolade.
Brown said she didn’t find her passion for teaching until a friend asked her to lend a hand coaching at Pleasant Grove High School. (Brown has an impressive past in athletics, too.) She said she credits her penchant for always putting her students first as the leading reason for why she received the award.
“You have to love what you do; you have to be passionate, and you have to be willing to get to know your students,” Brown said while sitting in her classroom, which recently received a makeover thanks to her recognition.
But the toughest part of being Teacher of the Year, Brown confessed, is not getting to spend every day in her favorite place: her classroom. Since the chosen teacher is required to travel heavily for a year, Brown stepped down from her full-time teaching post and became a temporary instructional coach at VHHS.
Stepping away from the classroom has enabled Brown to gain insight into how she can advocate for teachers in Alabama and across the nation.
While visiting Washington, Brown met with education decision-makers who have the power to determine what goes on inside schools nationwide.
“A lot of times educators are left out of the education policy conversation, and that’s what I want to change next year,” Brown said.
She said she’s already formed a small coalition of local educators who have one goal in mind — getting legislators out of their offices and inside classrooms to see firsthand the struggles and triumphs of Alabama educators.
“If we want to be valued as the experts in education and if we want people to see us as the experts, we have to bring them into our classrooms, so they can see why we’re the experts,” Brown said. “Our goal is to get every legislator inside a classroom — not just the school.”
Before she was named Teacher of the Year, Brown already had momentum building in her professional career. Now, she wants to go one step further and improve the entire education landscape.
“I feel like I need to keep the momentum going,” she said. “I hope I’ve been able to become an advocate for positive change in public education.”
For photos of Brown’s trips and speaking engagements during her Alabama Teacher of the Year tenure, check out her Facebook page, “Jennifer Brown 2015-16 TOY.”
