At its next meeting (agenda:
https://goo.gl/4ywSuH) the School Board will consider naming the Monrovia High School library "The Frank Jansson Library." No further information is given in the agenda about Jansson, but this obituary (
https://goo.gl/39C4pn) indicates that there was a Monrovia High teacher named Francis "Frank" Jansson who died at age 70 on October 25, 2003. He was, "An exceptional teacher and motivator at Monrovia High School for over 45 years."
- Brad Haugaard
He was a guy who demanded respect and got it. I had him for two classes and I still remember him drilling us on the books we had to read. He is one of those that really mattered to me and I still talk about him with friends who went to MHS. It is a great idea to name the library after him. He probably touched most of those books there.
ReplyDeleteTaking them a decade too long - but if people are still talking about him - it shows the tremendous impact Frank Jansson had on so many. To this day, I will always "dare to eat a peach." Miss You Frank.
ReplyDeleteI am in my 25th year of teaching high school English, and I credit that to the incredible impact that Frank J ansson had on my life. He demanded greatness from his students because he knew we had untapped greatness in us. This is long over due...
ReplyDeleteI am a university professor in England (having also been a Head of Department at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, WA before coming to England). Frank Jansson was an important figure in my own education. He was thoughtful and thought-provoking. He did not show favourites and did not doubt our abilities. He inspired me, a poor and grieving teen, to transcend the darkness of my mother's death and become the student and scholar I could truly be. Frank Jansson was a proper inspiration. I hope the school board decides to honour his immense legacy by naming the library after him. It is because of his challenges and his support that MHS alumni lead universities, high schools and businesses around the world.
ReplyDeleteAs those who have written comments, and untold thousands of others, can attest, several generations of former Monrovia High School students owe their ability to write a literate sentence, or appreciate a fine novel, to the efforts of Frank Jansson. The naming of a library would be a most appropriate memorial. A great idea!
ReplyDeleteEven the most lowly of students felt the acceptance and encouragement from Frank Jansson. And in his classroom, we were all equals.
ReplyDeleteI learned more in Frank Jansson's classes than any other... not just about English Literature and correct grammar, but about life, and myself. I always appreciated his stories about himself growing up, and that he appreciated and respected us. Please do name the library after him. When current students say, "who's that? ", it gives the rest of us the opportunity to let them know and to remember all that Mr. Jansson meant to each of us.
ReplyDeleteMr Frank Jansson was an inspiration to his students. He was more than a teacher. He inspired us to greatness. Naming a library after him is an honor that should have been bestowed on him earlier.
ReplyDelete