McKee Middle School boasts many wonderful teachers and this month we honor one of its finest, Aaron Franks. For 13 years, Mr. Franks has empowered young minds ranging from grades seven through nine, currently teaching 7th-grade Geography and Civics. He shares his inspiration, “The middle school years are the most impressionable years for most pupils, particularly African American males. These years require intense attention to detail and guidance.”
Mr. Franks is a graduate of Auburn University at Montgomery (Secondary Education Social Science) and the University of West Alabama (Master’s of Social Science). Currently, he’s in a Master’s Administration program.
Being a teacher aligns with Mr. Franks purpose. He never considered teaching a job, but a spiritual responsibility and esteemed profession. In his role, he values the responsibility of being a part of providing guidance, direction, and truth to youth. The passion that Mr. Franks exudes flows from his belief that teaching is God’s work, and molding the minds and perspectives of adolescents should not be taken lightly.
Since the beginning of his teaching career, Mr. Franks has maintained three consistent goals:
Educate, Empower and Expose our future leaders. He elaborates, “I desire to develop skills and attributes in a child to assist them as they transition into adulthood. A proper education empowers a child to be the navigator in a sea of possibilities. Exposure allows the child to broaden the range of possibilities for success rather than ascribe to the limited range of outcomes proposed by one’s academic achievement only.”
With his powerful beliefs and dedication to his craft, Mr. Frank’s desire is for all stakeholders involved in the educational process, particularly parents, teachers, and administrators, to understand how valuable educating our youth truly is.
He shares, “Providing resources, time, effort, and energy to the educational process of our children is often deployed from a reactionary position rather than a preemptive one. There is an urgency that is lacking. And far too many children are not receiving the proper educational tools, skills, and information that would translate into them being capable of thriving in a diverse and evolving society/world.”
Aaron Franks is from Mobile, Alabama. He is happily married to Alexis Franks, who is also from Mobile. They have been married for eight years and have a two-year-old daughter, Amina.
