If you’ve ever walked into Frank Brown’s English class, you know there’s something different about him. He’s the kind of teacher who doesn’t just hand you a book and tell you to read it, he makes you care about it. Whether he’s diving deep into the context behind “The Great Gatsby” or making a connection that somehow makes a century-old novel feel relevant to your life, Mr. Brown has a way of making literature mean something. And now, after years of teaching students the importance of literature, he’s retiring.
His path to teaching wasn’t conventional. Brown originally set out to earn a PhD in English literature and become a college professor. But somewhere along the way, he discovered his love for education. “When I had an opportunity to try teaching full-time, I did it, and I never turned back,” Brown said.
Brown’s teaching career has made a strong impression on students. “He’s different from any of the other teachers I’ve ever had, he is very passionate about his teachings,” said junior Leah Kincaid.
“I really like how he goes in depth and tells us a lot of context.” Junior Hazel Southam put it simply, “he’s really into what he teaches, which I appreciate.”
Brown believes that one of the greatest gifts books can give us is empathy, “being able to imagine oneself into another person’s experience and see the humanity in another person.” To him, that kind of understanding isn’t just a nice thing to have, it’s “one of the most necessary things for the survival of the human race.”
For Brown, empathy wasn’t just something to read about, it was something to practice every day with his students. He’s been vocal about the fact that getting to know students personally, even the challenges of growing class sizes, has been one of the most important parts of his teaching career.
“Summit students tend to have extremely busy lives outside of school,” Brown said. “It’s very easy for people to come to class, sit through a lesson, do their homework, and go away.”
This effort to reconnect with students built relationships that made the news of his retirement even more difficult. Kincaid’s parting message to him said it best: “I hope you know the great impact you’ve had on a lot of students.”
When asked what he hopes students remember about him, Brown didn’t mention grades or test scores. “I would hope that my students would think that I helped them become more thoughtful human beings,” he said.
The things that mean the most to him aren’t about GPAs. They’re letters from former students who tell him their lives are richer because they kept reading, or say his class was a haven during some of their hardest years.
As for retirement, Brown has plenty to look forward to. He plans to spend more time with his two children and two grandchildren on the East Coast, and he’s eager to travel, something he’s never really had the chance to do before. After a career spent helping students explore the world through books, he’s finally ready to experience it for himself.
Summit won’t be the same without Brown. But long after his final class, the empathy and curiosity he inspired will continue to shape the students he taught.
