Meet Dr. Paulette Evans, clinical instructor and director of our STEM-focused UABTeach program. She's a 4x UAB alumna and was a UAB School of Education student for three out of her four degrees.

Our UABTeach program is a pathway for STEM majors to become secondary educators. The program prioritizes constructivist inquiry approaches to teaching mathematics and science. 

Before joining UABTeach, Dr. Evans taught a combination of general, advanced, and Advanced Placement biology at Minor High School in Jefferson County, Alabama. During her tenure with Jefferson County Schools, Paulette served as facilitator of Minor High School's Continuous Improvement Leadership Team, the Science Olympiad Coach, and the senior class sponsor. 

Dr. Evans’ primary focus within her work is to empower educators and students to recognize and act against inequities and systems of oppression through STEM teaching and learning.

Get to Dr. Evans a little more in our Q&A style interview below.

SOE: Do you have a favorite quote? If so, what is it, and why? 

DPE: "The paradox of education is precisely this - that as one begins to become conscious, one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated." - James Baldwin

SOE: Why this quote? 

DPE: There's much talk about systemic oppression in various contexts. As one considers how substantive changes can be made, we must consider how we perform as actors within systems. In other words, we (educators), through our behaviors within educational systems, replicate oppressive systems' policies and practices; it may be the case that we essentially function to reproduce inequities. Only through critical consciousness, or wide-awakeness, if you will, can individuals see oppressive normalcy for what it is. From there, we must recognize our position within systems, consider and own our participation, mobilize, and act to move toward systemic equity.

SOE: What advice do you have for students?

DPE: Find your tribe, a group of people that support your dreams no matter what. At the end of the day, we are all humans and to be human is to seek community and togetherness. That's my hope for students. From there, all good things will flow.

SOE: Favorite part of your job?

DPE: My students, by far, they energize me, push me, and inspire me. I relive my youth through them. UABTeach students are the absolute best! My colleagues aren't so bad either, lol... I love them too!

SOE: What do you love most about UAB teach?

DPE: UABTeach is different. Nowhere else in Alabama can undergrads have an experience like this. UABTeach casts a wide net and asks STEM majors to consider teaching, and the model works! We are doing what we said we would do. We are making substantive inroads toward addressing the shortage of math and science teachers in central Alabama! 

Also, UABTeach allows our students to diversify their academic portfolios. They leverage the knowledge gained in UABTeach and use it as a springboard for so many things!

Fun fact: Dr. Evans has been a lacto-ovo vegetarian for over 20 years!

To learn more about Dr. Evans and our UABTeach program, click here.