John A. Smith becomes full USU Professor

"Professor is the best job in the world." That's what John Smith heard his father say over and over, and Smith couldn't agree more.

After teaching elementary school for nine years, he joined USU's elementary education department in 1988.

 

"I've always wanted to be in teaching," Smith said. "My interest in elementary education is a product of my love of teaching and of children. But it was my father's example that led me to higher education."

Smith told family, friends and colleagues from the elementary education department about his career and its highlights when they joined him Nov. 9 at the President's home as part of the 2005-2006 Inaugural Professor Lecture Series.

 

One highlight of his USU career was being able to take a leave and return to the elementary classroom where he taught 1st grade for a year. It allowed him to keep his practical experience current.

 

This experience also allowed Smith to work on another one of his goals.

"I am especially interested in helping elementary teachers better serve students who struggle learning to read," Smith said.

 

This desire to increase literacy has driven Smith, along with his colleagues, to write several state and federal grants in hopes of providing increased training and instructional materials for teachers in low-income community schools in Puerto Rico and throughout Utah.

 

Smith and his colleagues are currently working on a $1 million renewable grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Institute for Education Sciences to develop assessments of K-3 teachers' literacy instructional knowledge and skills. They would then use that data to predict the school's literacy level and achievement.

 

"I expect that the IES grant will keep me busy for the next nine years," Smith said.

 

Becoming a full professor at USU helped Smith reach a professional milestone in his career.

 

"It's nice that USU acknowledges faculty in such a significant way," he said.

 

The acknowledgement helps USU to maintain its professional atmosphere — something Smith said he has always appreciated about the university.

 

"The balanced emphasis on teaching and scholarship makes USU a great place for both generating and applying knowledge," Smith said.