Posted September 29, 2023 in Articles
As an instructor at Cuyahoga Community College, Rama Janamanchi first taught Lawrence students enrolled in her classes through the College Credit Plus (CCP) program. This introduction inspired her to join the high school faculty, where she taught English for eight years and also served as a technology coach.
A featured presenter at national conferences, Janamanchi was a recipient of an NEH grant through the Folger Shakespeare Library and was recently selected to be part of The New York Times Teaching Project’s second cohort. She graduated from the National University of Singapore with both a bachelor's and master's degree.
Janamanchi recently answered a few questions about her new role as Upper School academic dean and what keeps her inspired in education.
Q: What attracted you to the academic dean position?
A: I’m fascinated by the process of learning, and one of the things this position offers is the fact that I’m able to look at how we learn and how we help our students to learn. When students come to us, often they are aware of not having done well in traditional classrooms. We’re quite good at shifting that mindset by allowing the kids to focus on what they can accomplish. In an educational landscape that, quite frankly, is changing dramatically, whether it’s because of technology or new research, I’m excited that we keep our focus on the whole learning experience.
This position allows me to say, ‘Okay, here is new research, but how does it apply to our student population? How does it apply to the group of learners that we serve? And how do we then contribute to that research environment?’ In this role, I can provide people access to research because, as a teacher, it’s easy to get caught up in the day to day and not necessarily be thinking about big-picture research.
I am so proud to be part of the staff here at Lawrence: we truly have some phenomenal teachers. I’m really excited to work with them, learn from them, and move forward with them.
Q: What are your top priorities for your first year as academic dean?
A: It feels like it’s a year of transitions with so many of us coming into new positions from within our community or those new to our community entirely. With that, I think a lot of this year is going to be spent rediscovering who we are, who we serve, and how we serve them best.
There’s a statewide awareness of the Science of Reading, and for a lot of people, the research feels new. However, at Lawrence, we’ve been using this research—whether that’s Orton Gillingham or Keys to Literacy—to drive our curriculum and instructional methods for a long time. As I mentioned earlier, our teachers are best positioned to not only engage in those conversations with expertise, but to lead the conversations with the passion of people who have been implementing the research for a long time. What I called rediscovery earlier is really going to be articulating our strengths as a leader in education, specifically for kids with language-based learning differences.
Q: You taught 11th grade English for the past eight years and were previously affiliated with Lawrence as the Tri-C professor through the CCP program. What keeps you interested and inspired in the field?
A: The reason I applied for the 11th grade position is because I fell in love with the students I was teaching as the Tri-C professor. I was awed by their courage and inspired by their curiosity and determination to do well. It sounds like I’m talking about a special cohort, but it happened every year without fail. That description applies to each batch of students I’ve taught, and that tells me that we’ve cultivated that curiosity, enabled that courage, and built a community with that success.
The magical moments I hold onto are those students who, at the end of the year, suddenly realize, ‘Oh, I didn’t know I had this as a strength. I didn’t know that I could face a challenge and discover that I love the thing that was most challenging to me.’ That, I think, is what keeps me going. That’s what allows me to say, ‘Okay, we’re going to go back in and do better.’ Not that I don’t have bad days or challenges, but then I remember every student every year who has had that moment of magic happen.
And so, over the years, I’ve been really fortunate to witness many students for whom that magic has happened. Students who never thought they could ever write poetry suddenly discover, ‘Oh my gosh, this is the genre in which I can express myself. I am a poet. I can write.’ Or you have a student who never believed they could act or walk by the theater in any serious way, and then it turns out, you give them a speech and they can knock it out of the park. So it's the kids who inspire me—it is such a privilege to watch them be brave and confident.
Q: What makes Lawrence so special?
A: We believe that every learner can shine: we do this in a genuine way, and this is what makes us special. Unlike places that just believe in the possibility, we actually create those spaces. We’re very intentional about creating the space and building the support that allows a learner to shine. We don’t stop with just, ‘I believe in you.’ We create a space where we support you as you work towards your dreams, and we will ensure that you have the skills you need to pursue those dreams to your fullest ability. We walk that talk; that takes us to the next level.
I think part of why people stay is because you feel valued and respected. You know that what you do matters and that people care. That’s not just students, but within the professional community of staff and faculty; we care about each other, and that makes such a huge difference.
Q: What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
A: I love to read, and I’ve just discovered gardening. I wasn’t much of a gardener before, but I love it, although I’m very much a beginning gardener. Crochet is another hobby of mine. When I’m listening to a book or watching a show, I’ll crochet. I also have discovered during the pandemic the joys of Korean drama!