Educator enjoyed helping special education students learn how to read.   

David Brown seemed destined to become a teacher. With a family full of former and current educators, it was obvious where his career path would lead.  

“When I was in college, my brother advised me to choose bilingual education or special education. I didn’t speak much Spanish so I thought I would try special education. I taught special education for more than 30 years in Southern California—elementary, middle and high school levels—from 1979 until 2010. Now I teach special education in Hawaii at King Kamehameha III Elementary School.” 

Besides your family influence, why did you become a teacher? 

“When I was 20 years old and looking for a career, I wasn’t filled with wisdom. I thought three months of summer vacation every year would be a sweet thing. Summers off turned out to be minor in comparison to the enjoyment of teaching, being a professional and doing a good job.” 

What part of teaching do you enjoy the most? 

“My favorite subject to teach was remedial reading because I saw so much amazing growth with students. I used several remedial reading series over the years, and I found a lot of success with a corrective reading program at the middle school level. Students would read, answer comprehension questions, write summaries and had timed reading every day. It was not uncommon for a middle school student to go from reading 40 words per minute in the sixth grade to reading 130 words per minute by the eighth grade.” 

Learning from parents 

“I taught for five years before my wife and I had kids, and I had moments where I thought I cared more about some students than their parents did. When my kids were born it changed my whole perspective, and as I met with parents, I began encouraging them to guide me with what they thought was important for their children. It was a big lesson and I had newly found respect.” 

What's one thing you're proud of as a teacher?  

“Because I taught special education, there were a lot of students who didn’t have much success in school. I was proud I could give them positive experiences in and out of the classroom. For example, I had a pingpong table in the classroom as incentive for work well done. Students were extremely motivated to get their work done so they could play. We’d also have tournaments, and the entire school was invited to participate for the school championship. For kids who didn’t feel great about their school experience, that put them on top of the world and engaged them in a positive manner.” 

Tell us something fun thing about your teaching journey  

“I coached tennis for three years. I love the game and can’t play anymore because of my knee, but I played until I turned 67. I was also one of the first personal computer teachers in Torrance. It was a classroom full of Apple IIc computers, and at that time, no one knew how to turn on a computer.”   

How did you wind up in Hawaii? 

“My wife twisted my arm to visit in 1979 when we graduated from college and her parents took us to Hawaii for a graduation present. I didn’t want to go at first because I thought all you did was sit around on the beach and stare at the ocean. After snorkeling in the warm, clear waters, I changed my mind. We visited a few times while our four children were young and I agreed that after everybody graduates college we would move to Maui after retirement in California. We moved in 2015 and I decided to teach here because the cost of living is high.” 

What has your teaching experience in Hawaii been like? 

“Teaching in Lahaina was delightful until the fire. Our school burned down in the Lahaina fire in August 2023. The house we lived in also burned down so the past 14 months have been quite chaotic. 

“Understandably, nobody knew what to do for the first seven months after the fire—it was just a patchwork of hastily thrown together scenarios. Two schools combined into one, students were learning online, teachers’ job descriptions changed two or three times before things finally began to settle down a little this year. A lot of teachers and students left the area.”  

Has the situation improved? 

“This school year has been a tremendous improvement. The schools are stable, the teachers are stable, the students for the most part are in stable housing although several of them ride the bus a long distance every day. Teachers are driving much further than they ever did before. I think the reality that things in Lahaina are never going to be the same is settling on most members of the community. It’s sad, because most teachers enjoyed working and living in the Lahaina area and for many of them, their dreams and plans have drastically changed.” 

Will you be staying in Lahaina? 

“My wife and I have sold our land in Lahaina and are having a house built in Cedar City, Utah, where we plan to move in June 2025. Two of our kids live there and they teach at Southern Utah University. It’s a very nice town, nice state and great location with open space and National Parks.” 

Advice for new teachers?  

“My best piece of advice is to treat your job like a profession and behave very professionally at work. That means arriving early, doing your job well, and taking care of yourself physically, mentally, spiritually and financially.” 

Teacher Talk is a series of profiles on California teachers and other educators. To be considered for a future profile, fill out this form.