The Untold Story of Mr. Milbrandt
Author, Journalist, Teacher
March 3, 2022
Every day, students walk the halls and pass room O2, seeing nothing but just another classroom, but for many seniors and staff, they see the home and office of one of the most fascinating people on campus.
Mr. Dave Milbrandt is San Dimas High’s Economics and Government teacher but he has also taught many other programs on campus, including English and Social Science classes.
While many know of Mr. Milbrandt’s teaching career at San Dimas, few outside of his class know the full story of his teaching career. Milbrandt has taught since 2001 when one of his friends asked him to teach a Journalism class. “I had a journalism background, I said sure I’d be happy to,” said Milbrandt, “I loved it, it was so much fun”. Soon after, Milbrandt would go on to get a full-time teaching position at a private university.
Though he enjoyed this job he would decide to leave due to “some questions on the First Amendment”. After he left this job, Milbrandt would go on to take the CSET test, a test designed for new educators in order to determine if they are qualified to become a high school teacher. “I thought, I’m going to move to another college position, but just in case I’ll take the CSET test so I can become a high school teacher, if I need to, just for a couple of years,” said Milbrandt, “I’ve been doing this for 17 years now”.
When asked why he has continued teaching for so long, Milbrandt spoke that he “loves the personal interaction with students and I love encouraging students to think beyond where they are now and to move into where they could be”.
He also noted some of the special differences in his classroom environment compared to many other classes on campus. While many classrooms around the school don the title of a “Safe Space”, Milbrandt’s classroom of O2 has a different banner. “I like creating what I call ‘Brave Spaces’ for people to explore ideas in a safe, non-threatening environment”.
“Milbrandt’s Brave Spaces allows students to be able to discuss openly on their various political beliefs that they might otherwise be reserved to share, or without a proper setting to express themselves,” says senior Danh
Tran, one of Milbrandt’s students, “He also makes sure that the discussions don’t turn into arguments, but rather informative conversations that helps both parties of possibly opposing sides to see others perspectives and points.”
Another one of Milbrandt’s students, senior Jacob Stewart, talks about his favorite experiences within the walls of O2. “During our Economics semester, we discussed many principles having to do with… well, economics,” said Stweart, “One day, my group of very bored friends and I found a chunk of what appeared to be ceiling from a classroom in a trash can… So, risking being late, we stopped to write “PRICE” in large lettering on the ceiling piece and proudly presented it to Mr. Milbrandt. Luckily, he never questioned where we got part of the ceiling and embraced it.”
Along with having an extensive teaching career, Milbrandt also has also been writing novels. Milbrandt has been writing since junior high and would go on to take a creative writing course in college. In 1998, Milbrandt would write his first novel. “Over the summer I thought I would spend five weeks and write a wonderful novel, I wrote for five weeks but it wasn’t wonderful,” said Milbrandt. 15 years after finishing his first book, he would get it published.
“What’s funny is that I always say after every book I’m never going to write another book again,” says Milbrandt, “It’s a long difficult process that I don’t tend to like”. Even with all of his distaste for the writing process, Mr. Milbrandt would go on to write three more novels over the next eight years, including his newest novel, “Fools Luck” that has just come out this past year. “Something tends to happen where I come up with an idea for a new book,” says Milbrandt.
Milbrandt’s newest novel, “Fool’s Luck” has just recently received the silver medal award in the Mystery/Thriller category in the 2022 Illumination Book Awards.
To learn more about Milbrandt’s novels and writing career, make sure to check out his website at davemilbrant.com.
So if you’re in the realm of wanting to read an exciting series of novels, take a trip to Amazon.com and look up one of the many books that Milbrandt has written over the last decade. And If you ever want to talk to an amazing author, and even greater educator, make sure to stop by room O2 and chat with San Dimas High School’s very own star Author, Journalist, and Teacher, Mr. Dave Milbrandt.