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.




JACQUELYN A. FOX-GOOD
What originally got you
interested in teaching?
My interest in teaching
arose during my very early
experiences in school, as a
student. I clearly recall not
just being in school, but
also “playing school” with
my best friend, Bonnie.

She most often played the
student, and I, the teacher.

I believed early on that I
would be a teacher, even
that I already was one, and
I began to focus on my
own teachers through this
lens. I had many teachers
who were wonderful,
and others who were less
so. So, I began to keep a
journal of things I planned
to do (and not to do) as a
teacher. What advice would you
give to aspiring teachers?
First, before you start
teaching and once you
are teaching, work hard
to develop in-depth and
specialized knowledge of
your subject matter. Take
courses in, study, travel to
understand, become an
expert in the discipline you
are teaching. I emphasize
this because education
courses, although
sometimes useful, almost
never provide what
you need most in the
classroom, which is deep
knowledge of what you
are teaching.

Second, set high
expectations for yourself
and for your students. They
will rise to meet them,
partly because they will
understand that you are
doing the same. Establish
rules; follow them, and
IB ENGLISH
(LITERATURE) AND
IB THEORY OF
KNOWLEDGE (12TH
GRADE) TEACHER AT
STONEWALL JACKSON
HIGH SCHOOL,
MANASSAS, VA
expect your
students to follow
them, but be
prepared to
adjust when
you need
to. In the
words of a
wise English
playwright, “the quality
of mercy is
not strained.”
Like human
beings, the law
sometimes needs to yield.

This develops
naturally from
the premise
that as
teachers we
are working
with our
students, not
against them.

What is
the single best piece
of advice you can give
parents of high school
seniors? I recommend patience.

One needs to expect
these students to assume
responsibility for their
own actions, work and
behavior. One must be
ready to step in and lend
support if students ask
for it, or when they need
it (even when they do
not ask). As a parent and
as a teacher who has
worked with many young
adults (in high school and
university), I know how
diffi cult it is to strike a
balance between letting
go and holding on. But
fi nding this balance serves
students now and in the
long run; it also facilitates
TEACHERS OF THE
YEAR NOMINATED BY
ANYA G.

“Ask any of her
students, her
colleagues, or her
IB Director and they
will all agree that
Jacquelyn is an
incredible teacher.

She is beyond
humble and goes
above and beyond at
every turn to ensure
her students are
better writers and
thinkers. healthy relationships with
one’s children as they
become adults.

What are three things
you use in your
classroom every day and
could never live without?
1. Books—the paper,
material kind.

2. Desks that move—so
that we can sit in a
circle for discussion,
or in whatever
confi guration is
suitable to our
purposes for the day.

3. Lots of art prints,
colorful pictures,
quotations, etc. on
the walls—for visual
interest. Oh, and
battery-powered holiday lights!
Her dedication to
her work does not go
unnoticed ― I never
see her not grading.

Over the years, her
students have written
her novels to thank
her, and tell her
how much she has
infl uenced them and
their aspirations. It’s
amazing to see how
many students she
has inspired!”
SPONSORED BY:
washingtonFAMILY.com August 2017
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