Staff member shares academic insight for seniors

As the leaves start to change colors and the temperature starts to drop, seniors’ anxiety starts to rise. College applications, volunteer hours, GPAs and scholarships are all high on the priority list. But what about figuring out what you want to do in life? Dean Brockway (staff) has some insight on how to help. 

Brockway didn’t always want to be a teacher nor did he think he would ever be able to become one — let alone a teacher in his 17th year at WHS. Brockway ended high school with a GPA of around 1.6. His school counselor told him his senior year that he better learn how to use a gun because his only choice after high school was joining the Army. But Brockway had other plans. 

Carley Cartwright (12) took multiple classes from Brockway during her high school career. Cartwright has learned lessons from him over the years, and they aren’t necessarily about business classes. According to her, Brockway taught her that “no matter how much you’re struggling at one point, you can always improve and turn your life around.”

Hunter Cross (12) is currently in the principles of advertising class with Brockway. “He’s a good teacher, very realistic. He lets me practice advertising, which is what I want to do when I’m older. He wants me to become successful,” Cross said. 

Brockway teaches the business classes at WHS. Because of this, most of the lessons he teaches include information that students will use for the rest of their lives. He also participates in the Windsor community and is the D-team basketball coach and varsity assistant coach.

“He was super positive, always nice to all the players. It was always great having him out there and to be honest with you, without him we wouldn’t have gotten so far,” D-team player Damon Truong (11) said.

The path to becoming a teacher wasn’t always clear to him. Brockway said, “I know this will sound cheesy, but I didn’t choose teaching, teaching chose me. When I was a stay-at-home dad, I was coaching baseball at the high school level and several parents of my players asked me what I do for a living; I answered that I’m a stay-at-home dad. Then they followed it up with, ‘What did you do prior to becoming a stay-at-home dad?’ And my answer was marketing.”

He continued this conversation with parents to find out more information: “Several of the parents responded that they assumed I was a teacher, and I would ask why, and they told me that their sons loved playing for me, and they saw how I interact with their kids and they felt that I might make a good teacher. After several discussions with my wife about my career path, my wife and I both agreed that maybe teaching is something I should pursue, and 20 years later, here I am,” Brockway said. 

From being told he wouldn’t succeed and having a low GPA at graduation, Brockway has come a long way. “Being told I wasn’t going to make it made me mad at first, then made me feel like I wasn’t good enough. I am really honest with my students about the mistakes I’ve made and how hard it was for me to try to recover from them,” he said. 

He understands from personal experience just how hard school can be and offers advice to all grades but especially to seniors: “Many of us struggle from time to time with either grades, friendships, sports, or just trying to fit in and find our place. Your years spent in high school do not define you or who you’ll become.”