Benjamin James

UC Santa Cruz
PhD Student
bmjames@ucsc.edu

Prior to joining CTERIN as an ETE Fellow, Benjamin worked internationally for 12 years as a K-6 classroom teacher and eventually Program Coordinator at a Dual-Language school in Kobe, Japan. After returning to the US in 2017, he worked again as a classroom teacher and team leader at a K-8 school in California's central coast. In addition to his extensive classroom experience, Benjamin has worked as a teacher supervisor supporting and coaching pre-service teachers pursuing their credential in local classrooms. He has a Master's degree in Education from Ball State University and began his PhD studies at UC Santa Cruz in 2019 with Dr. George Bunch as his advisor. Benjamin's current work focuses on preparing teachers to not only support students' English Language development but also to capitalize on students' multiple linguistic and cultural resources through effective disciplinary practices. He hopes to pursue a career in academic research and teacher education, preparing teachers for equitable disciplinary practices that tap into students' linguistic and cultural wealth. Benjamin is excited to collaborate with the other talented ETE Fellows and esteemed CTERIN faculty to explore these research goals and prepare for a career as an education researcher and teacher educator.