My name is Miss. Lauren Johnson, and I will be instructing your student for 7th grade RLA.  I look forward to an exciting year!

I have currently been teaching at Lincoln Middle School for 16 years. However, I have been teaching for over 24 years.  My first year here, I taught 7th grade English and 8th grade TAKS Reading Remediation.  I have taught 7th grade English and 7th grade Pre-AP English for seven years and 6th grade English for three years.  I am most proud of the fact that the students in my class were very successful on the TAKS and STAAR writing exams.

Before teaching at Lincoln, I taught 8th grade English for one year at Forest Oak Middle School in Fort Worth, Tx.  That's where I fell in love with teaching.  Although I loved teaching at Forest Oak Middle School, I moved back to San Angelo to be closer to my family. 

Upon moving back home, I began teaching 7th and 9th grade English and Journalism at Edison Jr. High School successfully under the leadership of Mr. Eddie Saucedo. While teaching at Edison, I was given the opportunity to pilot a TAKS reading remediation course for those 9th grade students who were not successful in previous years. Because of the success that I had in my classroom, SAISD implemented the program in other secondary schools for three years. I also conducted a professional development training in classroom management as well as being elected Teacher of the Year. I taught at Edison for five years before it became CFC.

  I was educated in San Angelo.  I attended Reagan Elementary and Edison Junior High.  I graduated from Central High School and Angelo State University.  I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a minor in journalism.  I am certified to teach grades 6-12 as well as ELL students. Basically, I am a well-trained writer and educator. I have a passion for writing and want to share that with my students.

I will work hard to make sure that your student is successful in my class.  I look forward to teaching your child!

Conference Time:  8:25-9:15

Email: lauren.johnson@saisd.org

Phone Number: 659-3550 Ex. 403

Tutorial Times: MTTH 3:42-4:15

          RLA Course Syllabus

Teacher Contact Information: 

Email: lauren.johnson@saisd.org

Conference Time:

Phone Number: 656-3550 Ext.

Tutorials: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday afterschool

Course Description (Focus and Purpose):

7th-grade English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR) courses focus on developing strong reading, writing, listening, speaking, and thinking skills.  Students will engage with a variety of literary and informational texts, including short stories, novels, poetry, and drama. The curriculum emphasizes building a foundation in literary analysis, grammar, vocabulary, and writing while also preparing students for success in high school and beyond.  

Learning Goals:

At the completion of this course, students will have:

•  read and written a wide variety of literary and informational texts with various themes

• worked through short stories, poetry, and a novel while following various themes 

• written and responded to the texts. 

• built a foundation in literary analysis, grammar, vocabulary, and writing while being prepared for success in high school and beyond.  

Materials 

Being prepared is very important to being successful. To be  prepared every day, you must have:

•  Notebook paper

• Composition  Notebook or Spiral 

• Folder with brads and pockets

•  Writing utensil (sharpened pencil, blue or black pen) 

• An iPad and charger

Homework: Recurring assignments

❏    Any unfinished assignments will be completed at home 

                   Composition Notebook 

Your composition notebook will be where you write all of your notes and rough drafts.  You must keep your notebook organized and neat in order to succeed.

Reflecting on my ‘Why’

 I became an educator because I wanted to make a difference that my high school English teacher made for me.  Mrs. Eli instilled in me a love of the English language, but she also fostered the self-confidence that would buoy me when other teachers doubted my ability.  Now, I try to give all my students-especially my at-risk students-that same assurance.  I make sure that I get to know each of and everyone of my kinds and let them know that despite what they have been told or been made to believe about themselves, they can do whatever they set their minds to do.  Especially as it pertains to reading and writing.

What Fuels My ‘Why'?

What fuels my why is proving to myself and those who didn’t believe in me that I am the best of the best ELAR teacher that SAISD has.  I was made to feel subpar because I was a Lincoln teacher.  I was made to question my ability to teach reading and writing effectively.  It created a tension between wanting to prove individuals wrong by working harder at my job or just leaving Lincoln all together.  I decided to prove the individuals wrong, take on a new task, and develop Comprehension Club into a class the students will love.

For two years, I taught Comprehension Club.  I made it my own by picking stories that my students would love to read and could relate to.  My students loved my class and told their ELAR teachers about their Comprehension Club novels and short stories.  I really enjoyed teaching and creating lessons for my students.  Then one day, I was told that I would be teaching ELAR again because they were fading out Comprehension Club.  I could stay in 6th grade or move back to 7th grade.  The whole idea of packing up and moving back to 7th grade set my anxiety level up to 1000.  All the memories of being made to feel that I didn’t know what I was doing came rushing back. 

How did my struggles make me stronger?

I still struggle with the way the two individuals made me feel, but I do not let it keep me from being the best me.  After I made my choice to teach 6th grade ELAR, I made a promise to myself that I would not let the words of those individuals define me.  I am a skilled and trained writer whose students writing and reading scores always rank up there with PRE-AP scores or the scores of the “rich” kids.  I have done this every year that I have taught, and I will continue.  Those two people can’t stop me.

What do I bring to the table?

Because I know what it feels like to have someone doubt your abilities and intelligence, I believe in always making a student feel good about their abilities.  Each one of them brings in something special and unique to contribute to the classroom.  They just need to believe in themselves, by into the program, and never give up on themselves because I will never give up on them. As a result, my students try hard and never give up because I bring determination and self-confidence to the table.

Why Lincoln?

I didn’t choose Lincoln.  Lincoln was chosen for me.  I chose to stay at Lincoln because each year offers a new challenge.  With each challenge, there’s an opportunity to grow and become a better person and a better teacher.  You never stay the same.  I chose Lincoln because my students and coworkers are awesome.