Yes social studies Teacher
Mercy, Kindness and Truth
VOL. 907 NO. 64
St. Louis, Mo. Tuesday April 22, 2025 15 PAGES
PRICE 2 CENTS
Mr. Eric L. Brown, M. Ed.
Chores Lesson Plans & Fundraising LLC
Founder & CEO
April 6, 2020
Teachers/Principals,
Despite having taught social studies at the same public high school for twenty years. I never attended one day of public school as a student. I encourage you to read MY STORY and mission statements on the home page.
I formally began my quest to become a teacher when I drove from St. Louis, Missouri to Tulsa, Oklahoma through the night. Fending off a thunder storm and heavy smoke from ceremonial fires being burnt by tribes in Miami, Oklahoma I finally reached the University of Tulsa.
Two educators that made an important impact on my teaching career was a teacher and Men’s tennis coach named Dr. Don Zimmerman. As he was familiarly known to the football team ‘Doc Z’ was a ‘good man.’ He understood the difficulties student-athletes had in managing classes, keeping up with practices, team meetings, mandatory film study, traveling on road-trips and much more. Back then many African-American athletes were enrolled in the Department of Health Physical Education and Recreation better known as H.P.E.R. and everybody knew ‘Doc Z.’
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Well each morning I left my dorm room in La Fortune Hall and walked pass the H.P.E.R. buildings. But I didn’t want to become a gym teacher what I thought was a stereotypical teacher job for a male African-American educator. Nevertheless I knew I wanted to become a teacher for a long-time.
The second professor at the University of Tulsa that made an important impact on my teaching career was my academic advisor, Dr. Logsdon. Not long after reaching the campus I met Dr. Logsdon. He and I hit it off like we’d known each other for years. He explained to me how a student-athlete name ‘Smiley Gilmore’ was the first African-American to play football for TU. He told me how the University of Tulsa was built on Native American land for educating Native Americans. The school was then called Henry Kendall College. I absorbed the information like a sponge. It was so interesting. I was learning where the Trail of Tears had ended. I was literally at the place where Black Wall Street once flourished in the Greenwood Community. He was impressed that I knew about the massacre that happened to black people in Tulsa. I think he sensed my thirst for learning when he suggested that I become a social studies teacher. But here’s the kicker. He said, ‘hold on!’ And went outside his office made a copy and returned saying, ‘take this,’ it was an outline of all the courses you will need to take in order to earn a B.S. in Education K-12. He then told me, “If you take five classes per semester worth three credit hours each you will complete 120 hours in four years and would need 6 remaining hours for graduation.” Dr. Logsdon gave me what I truly needed! He not only gave me inspiration to graduate; he gave me the map to reach my goal! Many of my teammates had to go into their advisors office and didn’t know what classes to take!
So, I dedicate this training module for the NEW TEACHER to two teachers. ‘Doc Z’ inspired me yet I never attended one of his classes and Dr. Logsdon who inspired me to share with NEW TEACHERS a map to longevity in the classroom and improve their decision making skills at the same time.
Sincerely,
Eric L. Brown, M. Ed.
