Jodian Brown from Jamaica brings the atmosphere of the island to the “desert” of the United States

In the heart of Page, Arizona, in the United States, Jamaican Jodian Brown has become an ambassador for her country’s culture, spreading the vibe of the island and bridging differences with her students in the classroom.

A native of Crowle River, Clarendon, the 39-year-old left the island in 2019 as part of a cultural exchange teaching program that saw her assigned to Desert View Intermediate School, where she teaches grades 3-5.

Upon her arrival, she was welcomed into a community filled with residents and children from diverse cultural backgrounds, whom she was eager to learn more about and gave them a taste of the Caribbean.

“Usually in class we have a moment where we pause and we play songs and they dance around, but for some reason one day I thought, ‘Let me put on a dance (song) and see how they react,'” Brown said. .

“I put on one of those Ding Dong songs — I think it was refuse — and they started looking at me weird, like, “Miss Brown, what’s that?” But I said, “Come on guys, I’ll show you how to do a rebound; it’s a Jamaican thing and we were jumping up and doing our little thing,” she said, laughing as she recalled the moment.

From that moment on, her students became interested in Jamaican culture and wanted to share a little of their culture with their new teacher. Brown’s classroom has been transformed into a cultural center — with a Jamaican corner where students can learn about Bob Marley, athletes like Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Usain Bolt, food, the national anthem, national heroes and even the country’s promise.

Brown shared that the students eagerly absorbed the Jamaican language, history, traditions and information about landmarks such as Dunn’s River Falls, broadening their perspectives.

“I taught them to speak a few words. The most popular would be “Wah gwan” because when they come to the door instead of just saying “hello good morning”. “Hello, how are you?” I teach them how to say “Wah gwan?” And, of course, I answer them with ‘Mi good’ or ‘Mi deh yah,’” she said The Jamaica Observer.

Brown also shared that she even had a group of students who could recite the Jamaican Pledge, often learning it when they visited the Jamaican Corner in her classroom.

Since her time at the institution, she shared that she has also been able to share aspects of Jamaican culture with other faculty members, often asking her relatives to travel with Jamaican snacks — such as banana chips and coconut dragees — whenever they visit her in Arizona. .

“We try to combine things here with what’s going on in Jamaica, so on Heroes’ Day or in February, we do something at our school, we dress up, and students come up to us and say, ‘Are you celebrating anything in Jamaica today?’ she laughed.

With 80 percent of the student body being Native American and a few Hispanic, she said her institution encourages students to embrace their heritage.

“We celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month from mid-September to mid-October, so it was an opportunity in my classroom to celebrate my Hispanic students and we learned salsa with our Hispanic students. It’s November and we’re celebrating Native American and Native American month and it’s all going to be a big gathering all over the school district. We acknowledge, we accept, and we learn about each other’s culture,” Brown explained.

A seasoned teacher with more than 10 years of experience in Jamaica’s education system, Brown said she left the island to join the cultural exchange program because she had lost her passion for teaching and wanted to rekindle it while in a place that would be challenging. her, provide new experience and promote professional growth.

She said she has always loved teaching and often, when she was young, would gather students in her community to help them with their homework. She did this with the help of her mother, Valerie Brown, whom she credits as her biggest motivator and inspiration.

Brown also praised the Jamaican education system, noting that it provided her with the skills for her new journey in the United States.

“I’ve always said that if I hadn’t had that experience in Jamaica, being a strong and strict teacher, I might not have been able to survive here — to come to a new culture. It’s a strong foundation in Jamaica, being a strong teacher, just learning to overcome all the challenges — facing difficult colleagues, facing difficult families — and just the variety of schools that I’ve been a part of have prepared me,” she said. Sunday Observer.

Brown’s enthusiasm for her profession and her love for her students have propelled her to new heights in Arizona, where last month she was named one of the top five teachers in the state by the Arizona Education Foundation, beating out 625 other educators who were nominated.

“It was truly an honor. I know I said I started it so everyone would know my name, but I honestly didn’t realize it could get this big. “With all the hype, I really feel like it’s been an honor and also a very humbling moment because I’m just grateful to be among the best teachers in Arizona, to be among the most talented educators in the entire state,” she said, her voice filled with joy as she reflected on her achievement.

When asked if she would ever return to Jamaica, she said she couldn’t help but find the strength to leave her students and the close bonds she had made with colleagues, parents and the people of Page, but she might return later.

“I don’t exist without my students. Even if I am recognized in this moment, my students are the ones who have allowed this to happen, because it is through their individual differences and backgrounds that I have developed my strength and my understanding in the Arizona classroom – and I use them to grow.” – said Brown.

“It is my experience of communicating with them that allows me to blossom and become a well-rounded teacher, so my students are everything to me. Without them, I don’t exist,” she said.