Caitlin Crain
Francis Howell Central High School Teacher of Spanish
St. Louis
Dr. Caitlin Crain is a Spanish teacher at Francis Howell Central High School, as well as the sponsor of Spanish Honor Society and Diversity Club. In addition to her teaching role, she is the current World Language Teacher Leader for the Francis Howell School District and an adjunct professor teaching pre-service language teachers at the University of Missouri - St. Louis. Dr. Crain has led many sessions of professional development including sessions on utilizing Google Tools in the World Language classroom, maintaining 90% in the target language, utilizing music to drive engagement and learning in all levels of a language. She ahs also facilitated learning about technology, honoring dignity and providing equity, and research-based instructional strategies to use in the classroom. In her tenure, she has also developed curricula for a variety of levels, from level 1 to AP. As an instructor, Dr. Crain uses cooperative learning, targeted use of technology, and comprehensible input to implement the curriculum for her classes, constantly working to raise the expectations for herself and her students. She is an advocate for language learning and language teaching.
Additionally, Dr. Crain is an avid traveler and social justice advocate. She has a Graduate Certificate for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace from the University of Missouri - St. Louis, is Safe Zone Trained, and received her doctorate in Heritage Leadership for Sustainability, Social Justice and Participatory Culture. Her co-authored dissertation (We Eat, We Live, We Repeat: Reimagining Food Heritage through Foodways and Sustainable Food Practices in St. Louis) and her doctoral program inspired her to include more real-world examples of social justice issues and solutions into her classes whenever possible.