Jennifer Hernandez Boranian is something of a veteran in the education world, with nine years of experience in teaching Spanish, English learner and most recently, special education classes, although this is only her first year at Torrey Pines. Stepping into the role of education specialist at this school, Boranian’s role in teaching this wide range of classes has an underlying commonality: she always strives to be a part of students’ “welcome committees.”
Her first job in education was working at a school run through the Juvenile Court and Community School, primarily helping English Learners, and this is where her dedication to making students feel immersed at school began.
“I was working with unaccompanied minors [at JCCS], so there were a lot of students who had just arrived to the country,” Boranian said. “A lot of them were just starting to learn English, and I really loved working with them and being part of their welcome committee. That’s how I got started [in teaching].”
At this school, Boranian holds the title of education specialist, but she is not new to SDUHSD, having worked in the district for five years. This year, she manages a caseload of students to keep “everything up to date” by scheduling meetings and keeping Individual Education Programs current, among other tasks. Her first period class is Targeted Academic Instruction, specifically for executive functioning, which focuses on “planning, organization and time management,” according to Boranian. She also co-teaches three chemistry classes with chemistry teachers Brianna Howard, Alexandra Anthony and Taylor Lowe.
“I’m the type of person that if I don’t like what I’m doing [and] I don’t feel fulfilled, it’s really difficult for me,” Boranian said. “The things that make me feel the most fulfilled is having good relationships with students. For me, it’s not about all my students getting A’s … what makes me fulfilled … is when students feel comfortable asking questions, if I’m a person they can come to whether it’s academic related or not.”
Boranian is particularly suited to her role at this school because she draws on her own experiences, similar to those of her students, to help them succeed.
“I myself struggle sometimes with my own learning and focus and things like that,” Boranian said. “I have ADHD, so I feel like I can connect with students on that level, kind of knowing what that feels like to have similar struggles … school hasn’t always been easy and I think [that] thinking back to the things that have helped me also helps me think of how to help students.”
Boranian’s ability to connect with students on this personal level allows her to receive students from all walks of life at any school with open arms.
“One of my rituals on the first day of school every year is I print out maps [of the school campus] and I walk around…and I’ll give [the students] maps,” Boranian said. “It’s funny because a lot of people will say ‘no I’m fine’ but then once one person in the group says ‘oh, I’ll take a map’ then everyone is like ‘oh, actually…’ A lot of people don’t want to ask for help or admit that they don’t know certain things at the beginning but that’s something I really enjoy is making people feel comfortable to ask questions.”
Boranian feels that part of her role in a classroom is to put a student at ease so that they will feel comfortable enough to ask her for help.
“When I’m in a chemistry class, and a student actually calls me over to ask a question, that makes me feel super good because I know they’re being reflective about what they’re understanding versus what they’re not understanding,” Boranian said. “They feel comfortable enough with me to ask me a question and patient enough to listen to my response and don’t just want the answer right away.”
Teaching presents Boranian both successes—from something as simple as inputting all her grades to witnessing a student dig deeper to understand an answer— and challenges, and this is what keeps her enthusiasm for teaching alive.
“I love that [teaching] is always different,” Boranian said. “Even if you teach the same subject, the same grade year after year, there’s always new things to learn, you’re working with different people, there’s different challenges so that’s something that keeps me engaged, keeps me on my toes, and I really like.”
