Russell Brown

Brainstormer, Educator/Teacher, Idea generator, Writer/Editor

I am an author and veteran high school teacher who recently retired from Poudre School District (Fort Collins, CO). I was also part of the founding team and is a current board member of Compass Community Collaborative School (Fort Collins, CO). My articles have appeared in "Phi Delta Kappan", "Principal Leadership", "American Diplomacy", and "The American Historian". Among the awards I have received include: a commendation from State of Colorado House of Representatives (2017), the Daughters of the American Revolution Outstanding Teacher of American History for Colorado (2014), and the Poudre School District Excellence in Education Award (2008). However, the greatest honor I have received has come from those students who have maintained contact with me after graduation, resulting in many deep friendships. In addition, I have the incredible distinction of being the officiant for the weddings of nineteen former students (and counting).

Education, my students, my family, learning, history, animals, reading, thoughtful conversations, sporting events

In order to make meaningful improvement to our students' education, we have to change how we think about education. We cannot rely on the market-driven industrial-centered paradigms that currently govern how we think about education.

Education, History

I have used TED/TEDx talks in my classroom to spark conversations and expose my students to different ideas. In the fall of 2018, one of my former students, who was then a teacher, encouraged me to apply to give a TEDx talk about how I view education. The result was my talk at TEDxRapidCity in 2019 with the goal of changing how we think about education. While I am still pursuing this goal, I am also working to bring the ideas of others to the world of TEDx and to the forefront of the public conversation