JORDAN KOHANIM

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I am happily married and living in Roswell. My husband and I are huge Falcons and Hawks fans. My favorite food is coffee and my favorite color is teal. I have cats but no dogs, (even though I love them).   My passion is philosophy and rhetoric.  I enjoy creating artwork based off of philosophical ideas.

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  “A teacher can never truly teach unless he is still learning himself. A lamp can never light another lamp unless it continues to burn its own flame. The teacher who has come to the end of his subject, who has no living traffic with his knowledge but merely repeats his lesson to his students, can only load their minds, he cannot quicken them.”  ~ Rabindranath Tagore   

This quote epitomizes my teaching philosophy. I learn with my students. If I am no longer curious, why would they want to be curious? I hope that I inspire my students to question constantly (even me).  I want them to constantly ask questions. That's why I do Vision Boards for lectures. They ask such interesting questions about texts that we read, I want to encourage them to continue that process long after my class. 

My proudest accomplishment as a teacher has always been and will always be my students’ continued curiosity. I have students who are now in law school, and we still meet to chat about literature, philosophy, language, and life. I have attended weddings and sadly, funerals. Through it all, they continue to inspire me to each day. When a person asks a question, we should all rejoice in their curiosity. After all, knowledge is never concrete or stagnant. I am proud to have encouraged my students to engage with their world with questions and adventures.

I view the English Language Arts classroom as a place to explore the power of language. This exploration is done through the vehicle of literature, debate, and written response. Within a global market place that demands an ever-increasing critical thinker, English Language Arts must rise to meet the requirements of a multitude of literacies. Students are no longer able to cling to one or two forms of communication. Instead, they must develop mastery of a variety of modes of speaking, listening, viewing, and writing.

It is my goal as an English teacher to help my students navigate through and excel in this new age of communication by emphasizing critical thinking and rhetoric. While in my classroom, students will successfully develop analysis and literacy skills while engaging in differing forms of discourse.


What is your philosophy of teaching?  I do not wish to “load minds.” Children are not empty vessel for me to fill. They are individuals who must learn to think critically. Life is not about regurgitating facts. Life is about seeking complex solutions, or more importantly, asking the right questions.

What advice would you give to your students?

Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Learning is about growth. That means it may not be easy; it may not immediately yield the results you expected. Stick with it. Continue to burn with curiosity. Try and fail and try again.

As Ira Glass says, “It’s only by going through a volume of work that you will close [the] gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions.” 

You've got this. You've got a whole team of people behind you cheering. If you feel dejected, sit down and sip some tea. Then up again, with you! You have grand adventures waiting. 

Remember, you can’t go back to yesterday. You were a different person then.

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 I have been on many journeys in my lifetime. Here is one of them: https://www.today.com/health/5-steps-helped-woman-lose-70-pounds-2-years-t112823