'Honored and humbled'

CRESTVIEW — Andrea Brown, Okaloosa County’s Teacher of the Year, is a Title 1 remediation instructor who has served at Baker School for 18 years.

Brown’s classes range from kindergarten to fifth grade and she teaches about 50 students.

How did she feel upon being named the county’s top teacher?

“I’m just honored and humbled,” Brown said.

The nomination process had Brown complete essays, an application packet, a resume and subject herself to personal and peer critiques.

The self-evaluation required Brown to record herself instructing, replay the video and describe what she would do differently if teaching the same lesson plan again.

“I was definitely outside of my comfort zone doing that,” Brown said. “You go over it and you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, I would change all of it,’ but hindsight is always 20-20 and it’s easy to be hard on yourself.”

Brown attributed the title to more than just her personal teaching methods, adding Baker School has provided a strong foundation for success. Test scores have increased at Baker and teaching methods used at the school have become a model for neighboring districts, according to Brown.

Teaching was an early calling for Brown, but it wasn’t her only aspiration.

Originally, Brown attended school to become an accountant. Her math skills made the career path seem enticing but ultimately she couldn’t commit herself to a life behind a desk, buried in books and spreadsheets each day.

“I would have professors come up to me and say, ‘Have you thought about becoming a teacher?’” Brown said.

Initially, she would sigh and roll her eyes but gradually she opened her mind to teaching and found her true calling.

“I realized I didn’t want to do [accounting] every day,” Brown said. “My mother was a pre-kindergarten assistant and I saw her love for kids and followed in her footsteps.”

Brown experienced teaching before her collegiate accounting days, having taught classes at her church while in high school.

So, what’s next?

“You can continue to grow as an educator,” Brown said. She encourages other teachers to do just that and continue pushing themselves if they want to be successful in the classroom.

In addition, Brown will compete to be named Florida Teacher of the Year, which will be announced in July at an Orlando conference.

She hasn’t been given information yet on what that process will entail but expects similar observations, critiques and professional evaluations.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 'Honored and humbled'