Joann JurchanDr. JoAnn Jurchan began teaching in elementary schools in 1979. From 1984-1991, she taught at the middle/ junior high level. She designed the comprehensive junior high program for a K-8 school and was appointed as Lead Teacher and then Vice-principal In 1988, she began teaching GED and High School Diploma courses in the Adult School Education system. She also served as Director of Educational Development for a national non-profit organization dedicated to providing K-6 systems with school-wide character education programs. In 1996, she accepted a teaching position at Granite Hills High School in alternative education programs for at-risk students. While there, she designed a high school independent contract credit retrieval program, coordinated school-wide literacy programs, was a member of the Literacy Professional Network, and was a San Diego County RISE trainer. From 2000-2003, she served as Founder and Director of the Eye of the Eagle Academies -- a smaller learning community on the high school campus. In 2000, she received the Greater San Diego Reading Association Award of Excellence. She received the 2002-2003 Teacher of the Year Award (Granite Hills High School). From 2001-2003, she served as an adjunct professor in the Teacher Education Department of Alliant International University. In 2003, she accepted an Associate Professorship at Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU). While at PLNU, she taught a number of Multiple Subject and Single Subject courses as well as Masters level courses. She served as the Single Subject Coordinator. In 2006, she accepted an Associate Professorship at Azusa Pacific University (APU). Leadership positions held at APU include CalTPA Coordinator, CalTPA Lead Assessor/Trainer, Course Lead Instructor, and Area Regional Coordinator for Multiple Subject, Single Subject, and Special Education programs. Dr. Jurchan was the recipient of APU's School of Education Excellence in Teaching Award in 2008. Dr. Jurchan is author of Choices: Teacher's Resource Kit and contributing author to Focus on Character. Character Counts! Articles published in professional journals include: Emotional Intelligence: An Introduction for the Educator, Dispositions in Teacher Education: Complex but Comprehensible (co-authored), The Case Study: Bringing Real-world Experience into the Teacher Preparation Program (co-authored), and Preparing Teachers to Support English Language Learners (group-authored). JoAnn has conducted numerous faculty trainings and presented and consulted for state, national, and international audiences on a variety of critical education topics. Topics covered include, secondary content area literacy, universal access for diverse populations, second language acquisition theory and pedagogy, teacher dispositions, emotional intelligence, and the critical thinking approach. Dr. Jurchan has a Masters in TESOL and an earned doctorate in Educational Leadership. Read More Read Less