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Mr. Paul Grant
Principal |
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"Three daily reminders: Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Have the courage to do the right thing because it is right." W. Clement Stone
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Remember, the best advocate for JMPS is YOU! If you love our school then tell other students about it. Help JMPS grow for the future. Junior High American History See you at the awards ceremony and graduation this weekend! Have a great summer. Junior High Ancient History See you at the awards ceremony and graduation this weekend! Have a great summer.
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My Biography |
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Welcome to JMPS! I am very glad you have decided to attend our school.
My name is Paul F. Grant and I have been teaching for 15 years. For the last nine years I have been teaching at James Madison Preparatory School. I teach American and Ancient History in the middle school. I am also the principal. I graduated from Arizona State University (Magna Cum Laude) with a degree in Elementary Education, with an emphasis on history. Prior to going into teaching I worked at Target for 12 years, mainly in the electronics department. My last seven years with Target were spent at the Baseline and McClintock store. My hobbies are numerous. I am a football fan and I follow my Eagles closely all season. I am an avid reader and have been a fan of going to the movies since my first job working as an usher at a movie theater. I have been happily married for 7 years and I currently live in Mesa. As an educator I have certain core beliefs about how students learn. They learn best actively not passively. They learn best when they use information they already know to learn new information. They benefit when the information they learn is relevant and interesting. They learn best when they make the most of technology. I also have my own philosophy of how teachers should teach. They should model what it is to be a life-long learner. They should create lessons that engage the student’s minds and require them to actively participate in the lesson. They should try and present each lesson in a way that is relevant to the students. They should encourage cooperative learning and peer collaboration as a way to encourage good citizenship and civility. They should challenge their students to achieve higher goals than they could have imagined for themselves by holding them accountable for their work and being consistent in their dealings with their students. They should be patient and empathetic to their student’s needs and motivation. They should be enthusiastic about their profession! I teach using certain methods on a consistent basis. I like to let my students learn by doing as much as possible. I have numerous class discussions about what is being studied. Lastly, I believe, the function of education in society is to promote civility and good citizenship. Our democracy cannot survive if the students of today do not have the skills to become the leaders of tomorrow. Students need to know when to speak, when to listen, when to lead, and when to compromise if they are going to get anywhere in their lives, and they need to learn this in school.
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