TEACHERS
OF THE
YEAR DIANE JOHNSON
THIRD GRADE
TEACHER AT GRACE
EPISCOPAL SCHOOL IN
ALEXANDRIA, VA
Do you have any tried
and trusted ideas or
activities for motivating
students? NOMINATED BY:
PATTI C.

“Diane Johnson
is devoted to her
students and works
tirelessly to develop a
true love of learning
in her students. Her
calm classroom
management style
makes every child feel
valued. She surrounds
learning around her
theme of ‘detectives’
— so each year, the
students begin with
Sherlock Holmes hats
and a true desire to
‘fi nd the truth.’
Diane makes teaching
look easy, but the
reality is, she puts in
incredibly long hours
of preparation to
be sure her lessons
are top notch. She
inspires her students
to be strong scholars,
but more importantly,
to be good people.

She often gives up
her lunch hour to
hold small group
lunches to foster
positive group
dynamics. Diane
is beloved by her
students and highly
respected among her
colleagues.” SPONSORED BY:
18 August 2017
Why do you think
teachers are important?
Teachers are another
trusted adult children
can depend on. Teachers
provide support and
encouragement for
their students — not just
academically, but socially
and emotionally as well.

What is the single
best piece of advice
you can give parents of
third-graders? Have family time with
your child. Play games
and let them lose. Do
projects and chores
together. Encourage your
child to try to solve the
problems (a squeaky
door, for example). Let
them fail and encourage
them to try again. They’ll
learn perseverance and
experience the wonderful
feeling of accomplishment
washingtonFAMILY.com Teachers
are another
trusted adult
children can
depend on.

after a job well done.

What makes you excited
to go into your school
each day?
Every day I am trying
something new. Whether
it’s an entirely new unit
of study, or simply a new
twist on a lesson from a
previous year. It’s always
exciting to see which new
idea will work best for my
current group of students.

I have found that knowing
my students well helps
to motivate them. I enjoy
grabbing a few moments
here and there to talk
with my students one-
to-one. I learn about
their interests outside of
school and more. Often,
when teaching, I refer to
various things I’ve learned
about individual students.

I might use dinosaurs in
a spelling or vocabulary
lesson because I know
several students have a
passion for them. While
reading aloud, I might be
reminded of something a
student mentioned about
themselves during one of
our conversations. They
love to be recognized
when I say something like,
“That sounds like when
Sam went rollerblading
last week.” I’ve noticed that
students are more eager
to give their best effort in
a classroom where they
feel appreciated and
understood. How can parents and
teachers work together
to empower and engage
children? Transparency. For the most
part, students should be
aware of communication
between parents and
teacher ― making it clear
that these adults are
working together to help
the child be successful.

Students should be
aware of the relationship
between parents and
teacher and feel confi dent
that they have a wonderful
support system in place.