Teacher of the Year 2023

FELIX BROWN, Teacher I, primary, is a teacher at Bethlehem Boys’ RC School, Besson Street in the Port of Spain and Environs District of TTUTA.

Brown is described as a role model and a dedicated teacher who:

* Continuously initiates activities to motivate students.

* Is excellent at networking and giving selflessly to widen the experience of his students.

* Is actively involved in TTUTA’s inter-district football.

* Exemplifies faith-based values in his interaction with the boys at the school.

* Demonstrates admirable patience, commitment and understanding for the struggles of his students.

Brown says in his professional philosophy, “Any child can learn if given enough space, time and opportunity.”

He became a teacher to, “Serve as a role model, to mentor, to encourage and to show that circumstances do not define who you are now and what you can become in the future.” His mantra is, “Positive change is possible, all you have to do is begin.” His goal is to use his experiences and professional development to help students believe in themselves.

Brown believes that students must be given all opportunities to become the best version of themselves and that a teacher must go beyond to help them achieve this.

He says that for every child there is always an inner strength to develop. The inner strength gives the teacher a place to start and to help him develop his programmes to be fun and cater to the differing needs of his charges. Patience, he says, is a needed skill, as well as faith, which helps child and teacher deal with difficult situations and prepares them to contribute to society.

His TTUTA involvement includes:

* Advocacy in encouraging teachers to join the association and participate in TTUTA activities.

* Service as a TTUTA staff representative and active involvement in playing football, cricket and all fours, representing Port of Spain in the inter-district competitions.

* Successful publication of an article in TUTOR.

Brown’s community involvement is considerable. These include:

* Volunteering to help youths start a recyclable/agriculture project – Junior Chamber International.

* Projecting peace in St Paul and environs by creation of a peace mural in the St Paul Recreation Ground, a project of the Step-Up Initiative by Bethlehem Boys Gentleman’s Club.

* Visiting and counselling young men at recovery homes for addicts – Emmanuel Community.

* Teaching and counselling youths for Confirmation – Emmanuel Community.

* Co-ordinating the Catholic Men’s Group with church clean-up at St John the Baptist RC Church.

* Assisting with fundraising through the Emmanuel Community.

* Creating infographics in promoting mental health among young professionals – Heliconia Foundation.

* Creating a social media platform dedicated to highlighting and spotlighting the positive aspect of TT, with the HOPE in TT initiative.

At his school, Brown, who is the only male teacher, is solely responsible for the Step-Up initiative which focuses on peace-building, conflict management and self-esteem. This has helped immensely the young men of the Bethlehem Boys Gentleman’s Club.

He teaches both upper and lower primary levels, is a working member of the religious and sports committees and spearheads various school initiatives.

In 2022, Brown was the winner of the United Nations Development Programme Peace Innovation Challenge.

He has published a children’s book to teach Spanish, Mi Perro Mi Amigo: My Dog My Friend, and has had published several letters in Newsday, including, “Let us not forget our special needs students” and “The politics of negative politics.” He also had an article, entitled “The Crack of a Bullet: Teaching in the Hotspot,” published in TUTOR.

Brown is currently a member of Junior Chamber International, Trinidad, and the TT Association for Curriculum Development.

His early education was at the Mamoral RC and Tabaquite Composite School.

He is completing an MSc in child and youth studies. He holds a BEd in education, magna cum laude, from the University of TT, an advanced diploma in business management and a certificate in marketing from the School of Business and Computer Science, as well as a certificate in computer science from the University of the West Indies.

His other qualifications include:

Certificate in emotional intelligence, a certificate in CPDE310 – leading Catholic Education (CREDI),

Certificate in train the trainer, and a certificate in peace building from the UN Development Programme.

Brown hails from Morvant is married and the proud father of two boys.

He loves exploring TT, agriculture, football and chess, as well as writing short stories.

We present to you, Felix Brown, Bethlehem boy.