A father to many

WESTERN BUREAU:

Rudolph George Brown may have three biological children, but over the course of his 42-year teaching career, he became a father figure to generations of students.

Brown’s journey in education began at Knox College in Manchester. Remarkably, despite never attending secondary school, he passed the then Jamaica Local Examination and earned his teaching credentials from Mico Teachers’ College. After four years at Knox, he took on the role of principal at Lowe River All-Age School in Trelawny in 1974 – at just 28 years old.

It was at Lowe River that Brown truly became a pillar of the community.

In a recent interview with The Sunday Gleaner at his Mandeville home, the now-79-year-old Brown reflected on the challenges of leading the school at such a young age. The condition of the school, both physically and academically, was dire.

“That school was in bad shape at the time. It took a lot of rebuilding because I don’t know if you have heard that several schools in the ‘60s and so on, the classrooms only had about three sides, so they usually called them open-air classrooms. So very often at night, that’s where you would find the homeless people, or whenever it was raining, that’s where the animals sought shelter, and so when you go next the next morning, you can imagine what was there. Before any teaching or learning could take place, you just have to do a lot of cleaning up, so it was not easy,” he recounted.

Despite the early struggles, Brown remained steadfast in his mission. With the support of parents and the broader community, he transformed the institution.

“But there was also a big turnaround for that school because before I went there, they didn’t get any passes. It was the Common Entrance at the time, and with the support of the community, parents, and everybody, we turned around that school. When we got the first three passes, it was a great rejoicing in that community, and then we never looked back. It went from three to five and then 15. When I left in 2000, they were getting about 65 children passing for the various high schools,” he recalled.

Brown and his wife, Angella – also a teacher at Lowe River – dedicated themselves to the students’ holistic development.

It was challenging

“It was not just in the academic subjects; we lobbied in the Ministry of Education, and we got a computer room and a home economics room. We also lobbied the Ministry of Education for a specialist teacher, and we got the specialist teacher. So, once the children reached grade four or five and they were not reading, then we pulled them each day, and they would have to go to that reading room for probably an hour. It was challenging, but I survived because I got the cooperation of the community,” Brown told The Sunday Gleaner.

While deeply committed to his students, Brown also prioritised the education and upbringing of his own children – his son Merrick and daughters Ana-Kaye Brown-Thompson and Ramonia Brown-Locke – all of whom attended Lowe River where their parents taught.

“They stayed with us in primary school because at that young age, my wife and I always felt that they should be near to us, because if anything should have happened to them, we should be the first to grab them and go to the hospital. But then, at about age 11, the girls went to Westwood High, and then after completing high school, they came out to Manchester High where they did their sixth-form programme, and from there to the university.”

Their son went on to Knox College before attending university overseas and becoming an engineer. He recently completed his master’s.

However, Brown told The Sunday Gleaner that while he was assisting hundreds of children, he needed more support at home for his children. He commended Rosetta, a nanny, for imparting principles in their life. The former educator pointed out that it was hard work to strike a balance between home and work, due to his duties.

“I’m glad you asked that question about balance because I was thinking about it. I had to be at school from 8 a.m., and as an administrator, your day doesn’t finish at 3 o’clock; you have to have the extra classes. Sometimes it’s nearly 6 o’clock when I go home, and so, I am grateful to the helpers who we were able to ask to help us in the home. Because very often, you have to be out there looking after other people’s children and doing community activities.

“I can remember one lady – Rosetta from Wait-A-Bit – she was like a parent and a big support to those children. That was how my children grew up because while I was there helping other people’s children, somebody was at home helping with my children. Both my wife and I would be there in the classroom up until late, and we could always depend on Rosetta because she took care of them,” Brown said.

The end of the

shift system

In 2001, Brown took over as principal of Albert Town High School in Trelawny, where he championed the end of the shift system. That same year, he received the Governor General’s Achievement Award for community service, and in 2005, was honoured by then Prime Minister P.J. Patterson for his contributions to education. Brown officially retired in 2006, but continues to serve as a justice of the peace and is still actively raising funds for students at Lowe River Primary.

Reflecting on his legacy, Brown expressed deep pride in both his family and former students.

“As an educator, you become a dad or a parent for so many more children. Whenever I see my past students, I ask them, ‘How are my grandchildren doing?’ Because I always say, if you’re my past student and you have children, those children are my grandchildren, so I always take an interest in them,” he said with a smile.

“I am very proud. When I go to Lowe River to attend functions, I always see my past students, and they make jokes at me, too. Some boys saw me and said, ‘Mr Brown, we think you dead long time’. But whenever I see them at the different functions, especially down there in Trelawny, it is always a lot of hugging and greeting. They always tell me what they are doing now and I am always excited to see them,” Brown said with a chuckle.

rochelle.clayton@gleanerjm.com