Juanita CrumblyFranklin

I have been in education for 16 years, and this journey has been driven by my passion for science education and pedagogical content knowledge. I earned my doctorate from TSU in 2021 during COVID, which was a very challenging process, but the constant support and realizing that my research gives to the field and will improve education long-term kept me going. Currently, I serve as both a science teacher and mentor after transitioning from an assistant principal position back into the classroom to address a severe science teacher shortage in my district. As a science educator with my doctorate, I am very invested in making sure that teachers have the proper pedagogical content knowledge to teach students correctly. I believe that when you're teaching, you have to have that background knowledge to educate students correctly, because sometimes as teachers we can kill kids' curiosity by not having that extra little bit to redirect them and keep those critical thinking skills going. My focus is on educating the whole child, not just working on testing objectives. My typical day involves lesson planning, mentoring, project-based learning, collaborating daily with my department, and ensuring classroom and building management are key. One of my most notable achievements is earning a grant to supply science labs to be fully functional. I was inspired to enter this field because I didn't see a lot of girls like me - as an African-American female from the Arkansas Delta, science opportunities were few and far between. I had a teacher in high school named Vicki Timmons whose class was very difficult for me, and she made me realize that I could do hard things if I wanted to. I wanted to give that same opportunity to other kids and be someone who sparks that realization that if I can do it, they can do it too.