Janis
Williams, Secondary Teacher
of the Year
 Professional
Biography
Teaching
Philosophy
Community
Involvement
Educational/Professional
Background
Training and Committees
Awards
and Honors
Professional
Biography
When I was a junior at
the University of Texas at Austin, I was visiting my mom for the
weekend in Dallas, and I still remember a phone call I answered
during that visit. My 16 year-old brother’s science teacher was
calling to inform my mother that he was failing biology. This call
came as a shock, considering that he had always been a good student.
Unfortunately, this was the beginning of the end of my brother’s
high school education. This call, and many more, came shortly after
my parents’ marriage of 25 years ended in divorce. Within a year
of their divorce, my family experienced a second crisis when my
father died suddenly. Now, the only boy in the family was no longer
struggling with his parents’ divorce, but with the death of his
father.
The next
call I remember receiving was my mother telling
me that my brother had dropped out of high school.
I was puzzled and frustrated because I could
not believe that anyone in my family would become
a high school dropout. My mother had always stressed
the importance of education, and my father never
accepted anything but the best when it came to
our schoolwork. Before I could even begin to
comprehend what motivated my brother to drop
out, my sister, who was 11 months younger than
my brother, also made the decision to quit high
school. Unbelievable, isn’t it? Were these two
teens at-risk? You bet, and did anyone really
know? Definitely not. Why? My mother, who had
stayed at home raising children for 25 years,
was so busy struggling to learn how to balance
her checkbook and to find a job that she, along
with their teachers at school, was blind to their
crisis.
It was
the summer after I earned my Bachelor of Journalism
degree when my father suddenly died, and the
year that followed was one filled with many struggles,
but the greatest was my internal struggle with
what I could have done to have kept my siblings
in school. As time went by, I realized that I
was incapable of helping them at the time because
I, too, was struggling to cope, but I also realized
that my brother and sister’s situation was not
unique. Many other kids are out there who are
at-risk, but no one “sees” them before they’ve
given up on themselves. It was at this point
that I decided to enroll at the University of
North Texas to pursue a career in secondary education.
Considering
my educational background in journalism and my
love of literature, it was only natural that
I chose secondary English and journalism as my
areas of certification. For the past 14 years,
I have begun my open house speech with one of
my favorite quotations by Ralph Waldo Emerson:
“Our
chief want in life is somebody who shall make
us do what we can.”
I deeply
believe this is true for students of all ages,
and I know in my heart that all students can
learn, no matter what their learning style may
be, but for many, they need “somebody” to believe
they can, long before they believe it themselves.
It is this strong belief that all
students can learn that I consider one of my greatest contributions to education.
Since
I first began teaching, I have embraced and even
sought out opportunities to work with struggling
students. In following my heart, I asked to teach
all the sheltered English II classes this year
at Jasper. These classes capture the at-risk
population, which includes students with special
education needs, students designated as slow
learners, and students who have experienced failure
so often that they are close to giving up on
both the educational process and on themselves.
A fairly
recent accomplishment of mine that I consider
a great honor is being selected to be a member
of the Leadership Team for the English High School
Project. Having the opportunity to collaborate
with such talented teachers has been an incredible
growing experience for me both personally and
professionally. We spent countless hours this
past summer, as well as during the 2002-2003
school year, rewriting the English I & II
curriculums to incorporate the Texas Essential
Knowledge and Skills. A primary objective of
mine while planning the curriculum is to always
keep at the forefront of my mind that not every
student learns the same way; therefore, the needs
of all students must be addressed and considered
when developing a particular lesson.
Another
accomplishment of mine that I am extremely proud
of and excited about is the piloting of a mandatory
tutorial class for any English II student at
Jasper who fails a six-weeks grading period.
When the idea of a mandatory tutorial class was
first mentioned to me by Jasper’s curriculum
principal, Michael Novotny, I immediately volunteered
to pilot the program in English II because I
saw it as another venue to individually help
students fill in some of their skill gaps in
reading comprehension and written expression,
as well as to help them discover what they are
capable of doing when they start to believe in
themselves.
Unfortunately,
I wasn’t that “somebody” who helped my younger
brother and sister do what they could, but they
were the very ones that led me to the hundreds
of young people over the years that have opened
their hearts and minds to the unlimited possibilities
when a teacher makes them finally see what has
always been within. As a poster on my classroom
wall states,
“What
lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny
matters compared to what lies within us.” -Ralph
Waldo Emerson
Teaching
Philosophy
Starting
with a genuine smile and warm greeting when a
student enters my room each day, I constantly
work to foster honesty, confidence, and respect
for oneself and others. Naturally, by the time
a student reaches his teens, he knows the importance
of honesty, yet many times outside influences
or internal conflicts lead him astray from the
path of honesty.
Academic
dishonesty is an ever-growing challenge for educators;
therefore, I work tirelessly to instill the importance
of being true to oneself and others. I openly
admit when I make a mistake in class and look
for every opportunity to teach life lessons through
the literature we read.
I am
never afraid to let the students see my human
side because it gives them a peek inside to see
that I am a real person who has made mistakes
too. I love sharing my own journal writing because
it allows me to “show” them some of my experiences
rather than just “telling” about them. During
class discussions, students frequently talk about
ways to learn and grow from their mistakes rather
that continuing to repeat them.
From
the very first day of class, I strive to show
my students that I have the utmost faith in their
abilities and will always respect their efforts
to succeed. Fostering respect is exceptionally
challenging though because students today too
often have the attitude that they will only give
respect in return for receiving it. When a student
shows this “attitude,” I look at it as a very
teachable moment. No matter how hesitant a student
is to let down his guard and show me respect,
I continue to model the appropriate way to treat
others.
I always
keep in mind that many have faced defeat so many
times that they are quick to get on the defensive.
Looking beyond the immediate behavior in an attempt
to understand the underlying reasons behind the
behavior allows me time to reflect on the situation
instead of reacting too quickly and exacerbating
the situation. Once I have had time to counsel
with the student about the real problem or situation
as well as the behavior, the student has had
time “to cool off” and is usually ready to accept
the consequence and learn from it.
By sitting
back and observing, I have learned that a lack
of self-confidence is one of the primary reasons
a student is disrespectful; therefore, if I can
build a student’s confidence, the respect will
follow. Over the years I have found that young
people have such a fragile self-image, and any
success, no matter how small, helps to build
the self-esteem they need in order to begin believing
in themselves.
Fortunately,
the emphasis on writing in the English II curriculum
provides many writing activities which allow
me to get to know the inner thoughts and feelings
of my students, including their personal struggles
and insecurities. As I often remind my students, “Writing
is the soul on paper” (Mary T. Lane), and when
grading their writing, I use my comments to help
improve their writing, but more importantly,
I share my personal reflections about what they
have written to model respect for another’s feelings
as well as build their self-confidence. As an
English teacher, I am expected to teach the writing
process, but in doing so, I hope to open their
eyes to the benefits of written expression as
a vehicle to discover oneself.
A daily
goal of mine is to make sure every student leaves
my class feeling a little better than they did
when the class started that day. I may have praised
a correct response, complimented a new hairstyle,
or selected a student’s writing assignment to
be shared with the class. Teachers hold in their
hands the power to either lift a student up or
knock them down. When I lay my head on my pillow
before falling asleep each night, I want to feel
good about the day, and if I have helped make
a child’s day brighter, then I know my day was
well lived.
Community
Involvement
A strong
desire to be more involved in the community where
I have lived for many years was the driving force
behind my decision to pursue a teaching career
in Plano ISD five years ago after having taught
in Richardson ISD for nine years.
Once
I began teaching in Plano, I immediately began
looking for opportunities to help at-risk students
in our community. When I learned about the Youth
Mentor Network of Plano, I knew this was a program
I wanted to help build. Volunteering to be a
campus coordinator for YMN has given me the opportunity
to help students throughout our campus, not just
in my classroom.
As campus
coordinator, I match at-risk teens with a member
of the Plano community who has been through formal
training. In addition to personally selecting
a mentor for the teen, I also coordinate lunch
meetings, correspond with mentors, and help teachers
identify students who would benefit from a mentor.
Seeing a grin appear on the face of an otherwise
melancholy teenager when I inform him that his
mentor is coming for lunch reminds me of why
I became involved with YMN.
The Plano
community is a family to me, and it is extremely
important that I foster a civic mindedness in
my students. To pique students’ interest in last
year’s children’s book drive benefiting the Children’s
Advocacy Center of Plano, I brought in my favorite
childhood books and read several aloud to remind
them of the joy a small child gets from a book.
My books were the first to be placed in our donation
box, and by the end of the two-week book drive,
the 23 students in my second period class had
donated over 200 books. I have seen so many students
grow to have a greater compassion for others
as well as a greater appreciation for what they
have through community service projects.
Educational
/ Professional Background
- University
of North Texas
Secondary
English and Journalism Teaching Certification - December
1989
- University
of Texas at Austin
Bachelor
of Journalism - May 1987
- Jasper
High School - 1999 to present
English
II (Regular and Sheltered)
Reading Applications
PSAT Preparatory Class
Campus Coordinator for Youth
Mentor Network of Plano
- Richland Community College –1997
to 2000
English as a Second Oral Language
Writing and Grammar Courses
- Richardson Independent School
District
Berkner High School – 1991 to 1999
English II and English III
Junior Class Sponsor
Westwood Junior High School - 1990
to 1991
7th and 8th grade English Language
Arts
Yearbook co-sponsor
Staff
Development / Training Future Teachers
- 2002-2004
High School Leadership Team
- 2002-2004
High School Project curriculum writer
- August
and October 2003: Presenter at in-service curriculum
training for teachers
- 2002:
Cooperating teacher for UTD student teacher
(Elizabeth Negoslawski)
- 2001:
Cooperating teacher for UTD student teacher
(Suzanne Lane Shuping)
- 1997:
Cooperating teacher for UTD student teacher
(Michelle Gibson)
- 1996:
Mentor for Berkner first year teacher (Kendall
Jordan Pillsbury)
- 1995:
Cooperating teacher for Texas A & M student
teacher (Julie Hairston)
- 1994:
Mentor for Berkner first year teacher (Holly
Welch Bator)
- Welcomed
numerous college and Region X students to complete
their observation hours and assist in my classes
throughout my teacher career
Professional
Memberships/Conferences
- Texas
Council of Teachers of English Language Arts
TCTELA
Conference (2003,2004)
- Jasper
High School Site-based Improvement Writing
Committee (1999-present)
- Jasper
High School Site-based Improvement Writing
Committee Chairperson (2000-2001, 2001-2002)
- Youth
Mentor Network of Plano Campus Coordinator
(2001-present)
Awards/Recognition
- Jasper
High School Experienced Teacher of the Year
2003-2004
- 2004
Nominee for the Texas Exes Award for Outstanding
High School Teachers
- Jasper
High School Experienced Teacher of the Year
Finalist 2002-2003
- Jasper
High School Experienced Teacher of the Year
Finalist 2001-2002
- Who’s
Who Among American High School Teachers
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