Teaching was not always part of the plan for Fouke educator Amy Johnson. She was a stay-at-home mom with four children when she decided to earn a degree. She had no idea which degree she would obtain but knew she wanted to help people. She decided that she needed a career that would allow her to be home with her children and would still fulfill her love of helping others. Teaching fit this description perfectly.
She first started teaching fifth and sixth grade math at College Hill Middle School in 2004. She quickly learned that she lived a somewhat sheltered life growing up in Redwater, Texas. She felt blessed to have an amazing family but learned that not everyone had the same support as she did.
For Amy, each day on the job is about more than just teaching a subject. She teaches kids about kindness and empathy for others.
"Not everyone is the same or brings the same things to the table, but they all have value," Amy said. "You never know what situation others are coming from, working through, or getting over."
She currently teaches family and consumer science for Fouke Independent School District.
"I am very real with my kids and try to be very transparent when it comes to what I expect from them. I like to have fun just as much as they do, but they know when it is time to get down to business," she said.
Amy sometimes finds herself in front of a student who is struggling. With each student the struggle is different. It could be that they are having a hard time academically, socially, or even at home. Amy feels a special calling to these students because she just wants to help them succeed.
Amy takes the time to get on their level and show them they have value and can do anything they put their minds to.
"I really try to connect with the ones that have given up on school and encourage them to just work their hardest to get their diploma," she said. "I encourage them and let them know that not everyone is out to get them, and we (teachers) are trying to give them what they need to be successful adults and good people."
Amy has a unique opportunity to teach Fouke students about real world situations and problem solving. Through the Family Career and Community Leaders of America program, she focuses on a variety of youth concerns and how to approach them as an educator.
She helps the students with issues such as parenting, family relationships, substance abuse, peer pressure, sustainability, nutrition and fitness, teen violence and career preparation. She helps them understand what it means to be a leader in their communities and how to set goals and achieve them.
She also helps the students understand problem solving, decision making, and interpersonal communication necessary in the home and workplace.
Amy encourages her students to be good people and do what is right. She wants her students to remember her as always being transparent.
"I hope they remember me as being fair and kind to them just as I expect them to do," she said. "I hope they remember coming to my class because they want to, not because they had to."
Name:
Amy Johnson
Family:
Married to Jeff Johnson for 28 years, with four children, and seven grandchildren
Neighborhood:
Fouke, Arkansas
Occupation:
Family Career and Community Leaders of America Advisor for Fouke schools
Favorite
colors:
Purple and green
Favorite
holiday:
Christmas
and Easter
Favorite
sport:
Football
Coffee
or tea:
Coffee
Favorite quote:
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
- Maya Angelo.