Beloved Nursery School Teacher Celebrates 40 Years at SMCCNS

Rita Brown quite possibly qualifies for two very important distinctions: the world’s No. 1 Dodgers fan and the local area’s top preschool teacher.
The fervent response among “Blue Crew” followers to the
team’s World Series run has made it hard for anyone to stand out in the first category. But with the arrival of Brown’s 40th anniversary at San Marino Community Church Nursery School, colleagues and school parents have commented on what they see as the educator’s superlative ability to understand, guide and develop the talents of her tiny students.

“I say this as an early childhood teacher and director, and one who was mentored by some other truly fantastic teachers at a little cooperative preschool in Sierra Madre,” said Jane Walker, director of the San Marino school since 2013. “Rita was one of the primary reasons that I came to be the director at this school eight years ago.”
Walker was teaching at a cooperative nursery school in Sierra Madre, and was a staunch supporter of the cooperative preschool model with no plans to relocate.
“Then, when I had an opportunity to apply for the director position here at my home church, I smiled and said I would be happy to walk around, but knew in my heart that I was a ‘co-op teacher through and through.’ Then I walked into Room 4 at SMCCNS, and I was stunned to see the classroom abuzz with children laughing and singing camp songs. The children had been reading ‘Henry the Explorer’ by Mark Taylor, and there were little white flags throughout the room where children had ‘discovered’ new and exciting places.
“The outdoor play space was decked out with piles of wood for ‘campfires,’ binoculars were available at the table, and children were painting the play structure with water on the warm April afternoon. They were having deep conversations about where they should explore next, and what they would do. The scene was so familiar. I felt at home as I saw this beautiful representation of emergent curriculum.”
Walker explained this philosophy of learning as one in which teachers create lesson plans around the cohort of students being taught and based on their needs and interests.
“Then, I heard the teacher, Mrs. Brown, speaking to some children. I always tell parents, when you are looking for a school, pay close attention to how the teachers speak to the children. And what I heard made my heart sing. Rita listened to the children. She did not answer their questions with answers, but rather with more ‘wondering’ questions. She encouraged them to find their own answers, listen to their own voices and make their own discoveries.”
Walker said she “felt at home” around Brown.
“What I love about Rita is that she respects young children as the intellectually curious beings that they are,” said Walker. “She truly embodies what early childhood is all about. What I love even more is that she shares her knowledge and experience with newer teachers, and inspires us all.”
Nancy Swanson, director at SMCCNS from 1987-2013, agrees.
“It was my privilege to work with Mrs. Brown for most of those 40 years,” Swanson said. “She is indeed a gifted teacher. Parents would come into my office often with words of appreciation for her. She seemed to always know just what to say to parents to encourage them. I was proud to have her on our staff.”
Brown did not get into her current vocation just because she loves children.
“She has immersed her life in this work because she respects children and has a deep and abiding appreciation for all that children are capable of,” Walker added. “She is interested in them. She listens to, encourages, celebrates with and believes in the miracle of children. She has a gift of looking at their world through their eyes.”
Brown has been a pillar of the SMCCNS community during these 40 years, and has also impacted numerous teachers in training over the years through the California Early Childhood Mentor program. Her mentees have visited the classrooms at SMCCNS and learned firsthand from Brown and Kim Talbot, another teacher at the school who gave of her time and expertise to mold the minds of up-and-coming early childhood educators. Additionally, Brown has helped to form the social, emotional and spiritual lives of countless children as a preschool Sunday School teacher at Covenant Church in Pasadena.
“How lucky this community is, to have such a force in our midst,” said Walker.
Lindsey Miller, a local mother of two girls, shared her experience.
“When choosing preschools for our oldest daughter, we were drawn to SMCCNS because my husband had gone there and had a wonderful experience,” Miller said. “Much to our delight, we found out one of his wonderful teachers still taught there and was considered to be one of the best preschool teachers around. Her patience, experience and kind demeanor make her stand out and of course the children love her.”
When Miller’s older daughter was in Brown’s class, the Dodgers advanced to the World Series for the first time in 29 years.
“The parents in our class decided to try to get a gift together to send Mrs. Brown to see them play,” said Miller. “We reached out to the community and in one day raised enough money to send both Mrs. Brown and her husband to a World Series game, with money to spare. This is one example of how she has touched the children in our community and how their parents feel appreciative of everything she has done.”
Dori Mukherjee, who had two children go through Brown’s class, said, “Mrs. Brown cares so much about each child who walks through her door. Her fascination with her students takes center stage each day. We are so lucky to have had this Dodger-loving, warm and thoughtful teacher in our lives.”
Wendy Glazier, whose children were in Brown’s class in the early 1990s, feels likewise.
“I remember being so embarrassed that my son wore the same T-shirt for days in a row,” said Glazier. “I explained to Mrs. Brown that I did wash it every night after each wear, and she said, ‘Oh, Wendy, I never look at what a child is wearing. I only look at their hearts and souls.’”
“We are happy to share this milestone with Mrs. Brown and the community that has loved her, and all the children that she has helped to ‘launch’ over these past 40 years,” Walker concluded. “Cheers to you, dear Rita!”