Dr. Janet George brings a unique perspective to the classroom due to her multicultural background and experience. Born and raised on the beautiful island of Bahrain, she grew up amidst a “melting pot” of cultures. She earned her B.A. degrees in History and Education, and her M.A. in English Literature at the University of Madras in India. After she got her TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification, she spent the next few years teaching English to native Arabic speakers and offering corporate training courses to diverse audiences in both Bahrain and India.
Eventually, she decided to pursue her doctorate so that she could be better equipped to live out her calling. Dr. George graduated with her doctoral degree in Educational Leadership from ORU, where she also won the outstanding doctoral candidate award. Her doctoral research explored the effects of mentoring on the self-efficacy beliefs of alumni novice teachers. She currently partners with the College of Education at ORU to continue this research.
Dr. George has spoken at several national and international conferences, including OKTESOL, TESOL International, Kappa Delta Pi, American Educational Research Association (AERA), and American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE). Her experience includes teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), training teacher candidates and faculty in research-based best practices, and facilitating cross-cultural communication courses. She is also a nationally certified online instructor and course reviewer who has designed and reviewed curriculum for both residential and online classes across the U.S.
Dr. George’s doctoral studies at ORU helped her connect the dots between her faith and learning and showed her what it means to “love the Lord with [one’s] mind.” Today, in her classroom, she is passionate about helping teacher candidates make the same connection, learn how to weave Biblical principles into their instructional techniques, and ultimately, point their students to the truth of Jesus Christ. As the coordinator of ELL programs, she draws from her training, background, and multicultural life experiences as she works with future educators who dream of teaching English to non-native speakers. Dr. George’s goal is to equip teacher candidates to become Spirit-led educators who are bold enough to live out the vision of ORU, which is to “. . . hear [His] voice, to go where [His] light is dim. . . to the uttermost bounds of the earth.”