About Ms. Johnston
Jennifer Johnston (AKA - Ms. J) grew up outside Nashville, Tennessee, and moved to Greenville in 2000 on a whim when her hubby took a job as a sales-rep for this area, but who (being a classically-trained violinist and not any good at selling household gift-wares) flamed out spectacularly in that job within 6 months. However, the couple loved Greenville and decided to stay. Before her life in Greenville started, Ms. J earned her Bachelor of Science in a really weird major known as Human & Organizational Development with a second major in English from Vanderbilt University in 2000, and began a 4-year long illustrious career in advertising as a media planner (which was a really FUN job, but not at all FULFILLING). So, she ditched that career and became a PACE teacher for Greenville County Schools in 2004. PACE is a 3-year training program for professionals who want to become teachers in a critical needs subject area, and it stands for Program for Alternative Certification of Educators (it's now known as GATE - new acronym, same concept). Even though she began teaching middle school because she couldn't find a job in a high school, she turned out to LOVE teaching middle schoolers and has been living the dream as a middle school ELA teacher ever since. Ms. J began teaching at CTC in 2004, and she thinks of it as her second home. Along the way, she's also earned her masters in education, trained as a certified yoga teacher, and begun teaching graduate level courses to help other teachers earn their gifted and talented endorsement. Because she is the world's worst traveler, she lives vicariously through Ms. Baiden's adventures (see Ms. B's about page), so that means she can sit around a lot and read. In some year in the way past, Ms. J was honored to be Sterling School's Teacher of the Year and somehow eked out a win as a district Top 10 Finalist (which does NOT come with any kind of cash award, FYI).
Thanks for reading this really silly bio, if you made it this far!
How cute is my dog? His name is Maxwell Smart. He's a miniature poodle, and I rescued him in 2010.
Are we having fun yet?
If not, let's change that. I like to have fun in the classroom, and I know my students do, too.
I love to read, write, practice yoga, sing, dance, act, hang out with my friends, watch cool films, look at art, go places, listen to music, and eat yummy or NEW foods! Sooooo, I try to incorporate as many of these personal interests into my classroom daily. This way, I don't get bored. Being bored is boring, so I try to avoid that at all costs. Being stuck at a desk, having to be quiet and listening to someone else talk all day is my version of torture. Not gonna do it. I'm just not. And I'm not gonna do it to my students. OK...rant over.
How cute is my kid?
His name is Jameson. He should have brown hair and brown eyes because both my husband and myself are brown-haired, brown-eyed people...but he doesn't. He is blonde and blue-eyed, and when I asked a science teacher the probability that this combo would happen, she said he had a 25% chance of being blonde and blue-eyed. That seems like a high probability to me. Can anyone who is interested in genetics verify that statistic and get back to me? Meanwhile, isn't he super-cute just as he is?
How cute are my students? BTW, I only have 1 personal child because he's all I can and want to handle.
However, I seem to do really well with LOTS of middle school aged students at one time. I don't know HOW teachers teach high school, elementary school, or...I can't even bear to think it...pre-school students. I prefer and get along BEST with middle school students. They are weird and fun and confused a lot (like me), so I think we are on the same wave-length.
My husband is also a teacher. His name is James Johnston, and he teaches Orchestra and Piano at Greenville High. You should go there for high school and take orchestra or piano class from him. He takes his students on very cool trips that you will want to go on. Trust me. Like Disney, Bahamas, New York, Busch Gardens, Universal Studios, Chicago, Los Angeles, the list goes on...
