Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/635847
"At first I was like, OMG, it's James Franco!" Cohen recalls. "But now I'm getting used to it — and it's a little less scary." Franco was a bit nervous too at first, says Wojcicki. But he's developed "excellent" classroom management skills and a knack for connecting with students. She had no inkling he was destined for a great career in the entertainment industry, because he was shy in high school. " B u t I d o r e m e m b e r t h a t h e w a s r e a l l y extremely smart, creative and a risk-taker," says the Palo Alto Education Association member. "He has taken risks with many of the things he's done in films, and he's taking a risk by teaching. But he's always wanted to do things that aren't traditional, because they are important to him. James has done some amazing things, and I'm super proud of him." It should be noted that Wojcicki is a star in her own right. She was the 1990 Northern California Journalism Teacher of the Year and the California Commission on Teacher Gabe Cohen, left, was initially intim- idated by Franco's celebrity, but is "getting used to it." "She ran her class in a style that was project-based, where students were the editors of the paper. We ran everything. Aer I began teaching, I made all my classes project-based. I treat my students like adults and give them the power to create. I'm guiding them, rather than dictating or lecturing." James Franco on how Esther Wojcicki's teaching style influenced his own Sadie Fearon and Dylan Griffith in class. 27 February 2016