Janet Granados

What made you decide to pursue teaching?

It was actually something that happened to my sister. We grew up bilingual and she had speech difficulties, and the schools did not want to help her learn both Spanish and English, so she ended up unable to communicate with my mother's side of the family. So it's my passion for my community and for making sure that I provide the best education for students of color, and students who speak other languages because I often feel we don't appreciate the strength and knowledge that comes from being multi-lingual.

Why did you choose UChicago UTEP?

I went to UChicago for undergrad and did an internship in the UTEP building and was making copies of all these UTEP documents. So in boredom, I started to read the documents and thought, "Wow, this program sounds really interesting," and I decided to apply. It was very serendipitous.

What have you carried from UTEP throughout your career?

UTEP taught me how to be a reflective practitioner and to set high standards for myself and my students. I carried that through both teaching of elementary students as well as in teaching future teachers as a UTEP teacher and induction coach now myself.