Faculty Profile: Fran Yang
After working in public schools for over 25 years, Fran Yang joined the Burke’s community as the Makery Facilitator and Technology Integration Specialist in the midst of a pandemic. In the 2021-22 school year, she will take on the role of Director of Curriculum and Innovation.
Prior to working at Burke’s, Fran was a math and science curriculum coach and she is a firm believer in the impact of single-gender education for girls pursuing STEM. “Watching my own daughters navigate through school, there were certainly times, specifically in math and science classes, when I felt I needed to reassure them that the confidence and enjoyment they found in these subjects was something to be honored, celebrated, and pursued with passion.”
Growing up in Michigan in the ’70s in a predominantly white neighborhood, Fran’s childhood experiences led her to become an advocate and voice for students that feel introverted, invisible, or left out. Fran’s philosophy is based on determining what works best for each student, and she can often be found encouraging students to focus less on completing tasks “the right way” and instead thinking creatively to engage with and solve problems. A large part of her role is supporting the H.E.A.R.T. class (standing for Health, Emotional Awareness, Responsibility, and Time Management), that is team-taught to the fifth- and sixth-grade classes by the Upper School Counselor, the Learning Specialist, the Makery Facilitator, and the Library and Digital Media Specialist. Fran leads the H.E.A.R.T. conversations that surround digital citizenship, navigating social media, and being an upstander on digital platforms.
When Fran is not on campus, teaching over Zoom, or completing her certification in Makery Spaces, she enjoys dancing, hiking, going on adventures, spending time with her family, and scrapbooking.