My name is Mr. Brown, and this is my first year teaching at Irvington High School as an English 9 and English 10 Honors teacher. For me, teaching has always been in the family. My mother and grandfather were both teachers. At first, I had entered teaching after joining the AmeriCorps (community service program) and discovering my unexpected joy for tutoring math. This all led to me getting credentials in both English and History. I had originally pictured myself teaching history, but over time, I began to appreciate sharing all different kinds of books and stories with my students.

I really feel like the Irvington campus is something special. All the schools I have taught at before were incredibly small, and nowhere near as enormous as Irvington is. The fact that it takes roughly five minutes to walk from my room to the staff room just feels surreal. Before I had considered teaching at Irvington, I already had a very special connection to this place. My girlfriend is an Irvington alum (Class of 2014), and she has told me all about the school’s CCA and marching band programs. Whenever I see the marching band practicing behind the school, it just reminds me of how awesome and creative the Irvington community is 

This year, I am teaching both Honors and CCA courses. I’m really drawn towards the school’s emphasis on creativity and exploration in the CCA program. Students are always encouraged to express themselves in ways they might not have in regular courses. 

Outside of teaching, I also hold a degree in theater, which suits my teaching style very well. To me, teaching feels like acting and improv — adapting to all sorts of student questions keeps my classroom more lively. Music is something else that I also value a lot in my life. I love searching for new, obscure bands; my favorite group is Coheed and Cambria.

This year, I truly hope that my students will pursue their passions, and not just stress out over a letter grade in my class. I wish for them to become more expressive and confident as the year goes on. Above all, I hope that I can make a positive impact on my students, and create a space where everyone feels heard.