Mr. Brown

This morning I just found out that my favorite teacher from high school passed away Friday morning. I'm shocked at how much this has affected me. He has been battling cancer for 9 long years, it was an up and down battle but finally it got him. He was not supposed to be my favorite teacher as he taught math and at that time I was not one of those great math students. I tried hard but concepts didn't just come to me. He worked with me all the time and was the funniest teacher too. He wouldn't put up with people's crap, especially when I came in late every morning due to it being first period. I may have been his favorite (though I'm sure Kelly, Whitney, and every other person at the school think that) but he still gave me detention once I had my three tardies. But it didn't matter. I knew he cared for me, a genuine care.

He was the teacher who always participated in everything. Me being on ASB I would go to him for support oh say for swimming in this huge puddle in the middle of winter if the ASB raised enough money, or to shave his head to support a teacher who had breast cancer in an assembly. He was the one who was there coordinating efforts my Senior year for homecoming princess. He lined up the corvettes we rode on. For being a math teacher, he was just involved and cool.

I think my favorite thing about him was his honesty. He didn't sugar coat things but he wasn't mean about it either. There was a time my Senior year when I was thinking of dropping math. He had a discussion with my mom on the phone in front of me. It was Spring of my Senior year I was almost done and I just didn't care about math. They ultimately decided it was my choice, and so I dropped it. But I remember thinking I wouldn't have him as a teacher and I seriously was saddened by this. I made sure to visit him each week in the "pit," (the basement) where they kept all the math teachers. I wold later become a prodigy of sorts (insert laughing here) in statistics and he found out about it through a professor of mine. Here I was T.A.ing as an undergraduate for graduate statistic classes. It was kind of ironic. I never did well in Algebra or geometry. But I know if I had had a teacher unlike him I would have not even passed basic algebra.

I was lucky to see him recently as I ran into him last summer at Costco while visiting my father. He was able to see my engagement ring and realize who I was marrying at which he said simply "good guy." He also was able to hear that I was going to be a school psychologist and he said "I'm proud of you Hayley, stick with it, you belong in the schools."

NO teacher has ever come close to being my favorite. When things ask for password protection questions I always choose the "who is your favorite teacher" question because I know without a doubt I won't ever forget.

The math department and his family has started a Chuck Brown Scholarship Fund. Anyone that new Chuck realizes that there is no better way to honor and remember him than through a scholarship in his name.Chuck always stressed to his students the importance of continuing their education beyond high school.

Make checks payable to: Selah School District- Chuck Brown Scholarship

Mail to: Selah School District # 119….105 West Bartlett…Selah,Wash. 98942

Services will be held on Saturday march 27th at 2:00.

*I will try to post a picture later