Every day when you walk into school, there are teachers in every classroom rushing around trying to get things prepared to teach, trying to finish grading tests so they can give them back or helping kids get a better understanding on something they are confused on.

Sometimes the amount of work and dedication teachers put into what they do is taken for granted.

Sometimes it is forgotten that they have their own lives as well, but wake up every morning to go help students get an education so they can have a career of their dreams one day.

It takes a special person to be a teacher.

Chapman High School is home to so many amazing teachers.

One in particular is science teacher Fred Brown.

Brown is very familiar with education and has many degrees.

“I have a Bachelor of Science in biology, a Master of Education in secondary natural science, a specialist (degree) in education in Educational Administration and a Doctor of Philosophy in educational administration,” Brown said.

Brown is the only teacher at Chapman to have a doctorate, which took some time to achieve.

“Just the writing for my doctorate took me a year and a half,” Brown said.

A day in Brown’s classroom can differ every day depending on what is taking place.

“On lecture days we use power points to get the right notes and class discussions with questions and answers,” Brown said. “On lab days or project days they get the information on what is required and what I expect and I give them time to work on it. I go around answering questions and giving advice. When learning motion, I like to use ‘Mythbusters’ to show practical aspects, which leads to discussions on the scientific method and what we are studying.”

Junior Brandon Dill describes Brown’s class to be “fun” on a daily basis.

“Every day in his class is fun and you get to learn new things every day from Dr. Brown,” Dill said.

Brown uses different teaching strategies that help students get a better understanding of what he is teaching.

“He breaks it down into little pieces and helps you understand it better with worksheets and videos,” Dill said.

Brown has qualities that have helped students.

“He is understanding about everything and is willing to do anything to help you in the class to do better,” Dill said.

“He is always willing to help out with learning how to do stuff in other class,” sophomore Riley Cook said.

Dill said that Brown is always there to help.

“One of favorite things about having him as one of my teachers is that you can go to him anytime you needs it and he will do anything to help you do better,” Dill said.

Brown is able to make connections between life and school.

“He interacts with the students and connects,” Cook said.

“What I enjoy most about his class is that he always tells us story’s about his life that relate to what we are learning and it makes it a more fun experience and it easier to learn more in the class and about the subject,” Dill said.

What some people do not know is that Brown taught middle school and high school science in Croatia for four years.

“I taught in Croatia for four years,” Brown said. “The difference is it was a very small school. I was the only science teacher for the middle and high school. I had some students that I taught for three or four years because they went up in grade level. You really get to know the students there.”

Brown said that teaching in Croatia did open his eyes on a few things.

“I feel that it opened my eyes on working with students with a different language,” Brown said. “I had some kids that didn’t speak hardly any English and were in classes with everyone else. I had a student from Poland that translated every word of his test by rewriting it in polish so he could understand it and then translated it back into English for me.”

Being a teacher isn’t for everyone, and even for those who have chosen the career, it is easy to lose focus. When that happens, Brown says he reminds himself of something important.

“I normally a positive person,” Brown said. “On a bad day though, I just remember that I’m doing what I love to do.”