Jan Frank, Ph.D.

I have been a teacher committed to social justice and working toward equity in education for all learners for over 30 years—teaching English and speech at the secondary level and then courses for both pre-service and in-service teachers in higher education.  Syllabi for my undergraduate and graduate courses include the following statement: to be an effective teacher, one must be reflective and analytical—first and foremost of oneself, and then of one’s students and the context.  To me, this is the foundation of my own teaching.  While the visual representation of my model for teaching continues to evolve, the basic elements have remained fairly constant:  a focus on the questions “who am I?” and “who are my students?” and a belief that the teacher and the students co-construct what happens in the teaching-learning environment. As a teacher, I believe the following:  I serve as facilitator, supporter and challenger; I provide opportunities for gaining knowledge; I support my students by helping them move from where they are now to where they want to go; and I challenge them to go beyond simply knowing.