Jan S. Gephardt

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Jan S. Gephardt is an artist, writer and teacher. She holds a degree in art with a minor in journalism and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction with a multicultural education emphasis. She has taught art, graphic design, journalism and publications on the secondary level, and design on the college level. Her students have been recipients of regional, national, and international awards. She continues to write, lecture and teach privately, in addition to making paper sculpture artwork.


Pages authored by Jan S. Gephardt

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Have You Thanked a Parent Lately? My third-hour class was a challenge. The students were young, the class was large, and most students just needed a required fine art credit. Not...
Just Listen Greg arrived at my art room after school to pick up a bulky project. He seemed down. “Is everything ok?” I asked. “My girlfriend and I got into a...
In Consideration of Ramadan Our staff took an in-service afternoon to design a new approach to Ramadan. It wasn’t for a teaching unit, but out of consideration for the more...
Piecing Together the Puzzle of Bullying Karl paused at the classroom doorway, his thin face pinched with apprehension as he stared down the hallway.  “Is everything all right?” I...
Pay-to-Play Nearly Sidelined Student’s Future “Jamilla may have to quit,” my friend Bob said. “She’s not the only one. This new ‘pay-to-play’ policy could wipe out two-thirds of my team.” Bob...
Artfully Creating the Right Group Dynamic Most art projects are personal expressions by individual artists. But as an art teacher, it’s hard to beat a well-structured group project for...
Seeing Students, Not Threats My third-period students rushed in at the start of class, wide-eyed and excited. Something had happened. “Quentin hit Ms. Combs!” Helen Combs was...
Giving ‘Trouble’ a Second Chance Many times in my career, I have heard a colleague warn, “Watch out for that one! He’s trouble!” Students quickly gain a reputation with the teachers...
The Art of Courage When Gary enrolled in her class, my friend Mary was warned that he had an attitude problem. But on his first day in her high school basic art class,...
Injured Knee Offers Change in Perspective My knee injury was neither serious nor permanent, but it was enough to put me on crutches and earn me a key to the elevator. The first morning I...
Do Your Walls Welcome All Students? Whenever I go into an unfamiliar school, I look closely to see what the walls tell me. I’m not just looking at signage—although that is important—but...
Cultural Sensitivity Keeps Students Engaged A young language arts student teacher directed her class to “close your eyes and imagine what your characters might look like.” I was observing her...
Graphics Class Offers Success for All Working in an urban high school has many challenges. My first computer graphics class was no exception. The computers were old PCs and the software...
Detention Leads to a Lunchtime Community The year I taught art in the dysfunctional chaos of an overcrowded urban middle school with weak administrators, practically everyone in the school—...