In the 15 years Joan Barnatt has spent shaping future teachers at Elon, she has left an indelible mark on her students. That’s because her teaching goes far beyond keeping the mission of the Elon Teacher Education program in mind.

A common theme across her courses is the authentic integration and modeling of diversity, equity and inclusion perspectives. Beyond her own classroom, she has collaborated with colleagues to implement strategies that foster success for students of all academic and social backgrounds. She has played an instrumental role in revising several courses across programs in the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education to ensure literature offerings feature Latinx culture and history to better support Latinx learners. She also co-leads the International Coalition for Multilingual Education and Equity, sharing her expertise to develop professional development around multilingual learner equity with educators and researchers around the globe.

Passionate about making a difference in her community, Barnatt supports students in the Teach for Alamance program, designed for Elon teacher candidate graduates who enroll in its Master of Education in Innovation program and commit to teach in the local schools for two years. She guides all her student teachers in becoming knowledgeable, caring and effective educators.

“Professor Barnatt has consistently given the most incredible feedback on all kinds of assignments,” a former student wrote in their course evaluation. “She is the best professor I’ve had at Elon at giving meaningful feedback and making me a better teacher.”