Jeni Franks
We continue our series on Connected Educators with Sarah Mercado, and Jeni Franks, a TBRI Practitioner and second grade teacher in Cour d’Alene, ID. Jeni’s passion for her students is so evident in this episode, and she gives wonderful tips for creatively connecting with her students, even through distance-learning or in a socially-distanced classroom.
Show Notes
Linked references from this episode:
About our guest:
Jeni Franks is a second-grade teacher and TBRI Practitioner in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. She has taught in Coeur d’Alene School District for 22 years, teaching kindergarten, first, and second grade. She currently teaches 2nd grade at Bryan Elementary School. Jeni is mom to two amazing boys who are 16 and 18 years old, and wife to Dan for twenty years (Jeni and Dan even attended Bryan School together!). Jeni has known since she was a first grader that she was meant to be an educator. She loves children and her passion is helping them grow academically and emotionally. Jeni holds a special place in her heart for children who struggle and is continuously searching and implementing strategies to help all kids be successful in life.
About our host:
Sarah Mercado is a Training Specialist with the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development (KPICD). As training specialist, Sarah’s main focus is instructing professionals working with children who have experienced trauma, in Trust-Based Relational Intervention® (TBRI®). TBRI®, a holistic, attachment-based, and trauma-informed intervention designed to meet the complex needs of vulnerable children, offers practical tools for caregivers to help those in their care reach their highest potential.
Sarah earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Sweet Briar College in Virginia. She began her career as a direct care staff working with adolescent boys living in a Residential Treatment Center (RTC). After serving in the RTC for several years, she shifted her focus to foster care, where she was Regional Director for a foster and adoption agency.
Sarah spent 20 years serving youth and families within residential and foster care settings as a direct-care worker and trainer before beginning her work with the Purvis Institute in May 2016. Sarah lives near Austin, TX with her husband, AJ, and their two children.