Becoming a secondary education English teacher has always been Franceanne Gilbertson’s calling, and she came to Texas Wesleyan University to achieve exactly that.

Gilbertson, mostly known as “Frannie,” grew up right down the street
from Wesleyan. During her senior year of high school, she heard amazing
things about the education department and her choice was clear.
“It was the first and last college I toured. It was kind of like a love at first
sight thing,” she said.

Growing up she had friends that struggled with mental health issues
and the negative impact of high school, so she set her mind on becoming an attentive teacher that makes a difference.

“I’ve seen firsthand how teachers affect students and their whole view on
school, their mental health and their whole attitude on life. That’s how I
knew I wanted to make my difference in the world. I figured if I can save one
kid’s life by having them for 45 minutes in the day, then my job will have
been worth it,” she said.

One step closer to inspiring young adults to higher education just like her
high school English teacher did for her, Gilbertson has currently landed a
student-teacher position at Polytechnic High School.

“I want the kids that are overlooked, that people kind of forget about, that
are even sometimes forgotten about by the district. That’s one of the reasons
why I chose Poly because it’s one of those schools that people kind of think
when they first hear it, ‘Oh why do you want to teach there? Don’t all those
kids kind of have behavioral problems?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah kinda, but
not all of them, it’s like a small, small number.’

“But either way, they just need people to care about them. And so, that’s
why I want to be a teacher, and that’s why I picked Poly.”

Loving her experience at Poly and her kids in her class, Gilbertson hopes
to continue her future at Polytechnic High School once she has received her
teaching license.

Story by Jacinda Chan