Jan Smith (BA ’86/MA ’92) says she grew up “in the shadow of The University of Iowa” and the education she received there as an adult has lit her way as an English teacher and administrator at Iowa City’s City High School, her other alma mater. Students excel through her fresh and creative approach to teaching.

“Mrs. Smith doesn’t get lost in the minutiae of grammar, although she emphasizes a firm grasp of the subject,” said City High senior Jennifer Dibbern. “Her approach emphasizes reader feedback from our peers, class discussion, and individual conferences. She first teaches us how to find our literary voices, and then how to sing.”

Smith’s research in English education addresses the chasm between education theory and practice. She says good teachers not only identify challenges in teaching, but also are able to develop novel solutions that work in the classroom.

“We know that many students fear writing essays and reciting poetry,” she said. “But the real challenge is to come up with interesting and effective ways to help remove those fears so the students are freed to love writing and reading literature.”

To accomplish this, Smith uses an array of techniques, including literature circles—small groups of students who read, think, talk, and prepare a classroom presentation about a work of literature. During reading units, she encourages students to view each literary work through a variety of “lenses” that sensitize them to issues concerning social class, gender, and ethnicity. She also guides each student in putting together a portfolio of work that represents the arc of their trimester’s development as writers.

Southeast Junior High language arts teacher Adele Monserud (BA’75/MA ’79/MA ’97) appreciates how Smith transforms theories about creativity and writing into actual classroom teaching. She notes that an approach to writing as purely prescriptive can stifle the enthusiasm and talents of students.

“Jan challenges her student to think of ‘text’ in a wide sense,” Monserud said, “rather than trying to analyze short stories, poetry, or essays to discover the ‘right’ interpretation. And her assignments are broadly designed so that students can work from their own interest within that range.”

The approach inspires stunning results. In response to an assignment to write and read aloud a self-portrait, Caroline Brigham brought a jar beautifully adorned with photographs of the student’s hands, feet, and face, as well as a rubbing from her father’s tombstone engraved with a quote from Plato. Carolyn’s essay explained that her father had been killed when she was nine and the jar represents where she keeps her feelings about him. One photo has tiny beads placed on her cheeks, representing her tears.

Another student, Kristen Blake, brought a violin she had covered with photographs she took that illustrate many facets of her life, including a defibrillator because of her father’s heart illness and her work with respite care and the Special Olympics. In her essay, she said used black and white photos because at first glance something may look boring, but if observed from a different point of view or when small details are noticed, it can become very interesting. –by Jean Florman