Teacher Linda Johnson said at the start of each new school year she feels the same excitement that she felt the first time she walked through the door of her classroom at Jefferson Elementary School.
“This year marks my 40th year as a kindergarten teacher here at Jefferson, and all 40 of those years I have spent in this classroom,” Johnson said.
Some teachers move from one grade level to another but Johnson said, “I have never felt the need to change. Seeing my students learn to read is one of my greatest joys.”
As the years pass by familiar faces have begun to appear in Johnson’s classroom as second generations of her earlier students enter school. This year Johnson will have four students whose parents learned their ABCs from her.
One of her biggest challenges is to not call a student by his parent’s first name.
“I had one little boy who looked exactly like his father. I think it took me about a month before I stopped calling him by his father’s name,” she said.
On the first day of school, Johnson tries to put her young students at ease with games. She might toss a bean bag around and, as each child catches it, have them introduce themselves and tell about their family or what their favorite games are.
EACH DAY as students enter her classroom they put on a name tag. It is important to establish a daily routine, Johnson said.
Students are also given a folder which they take home each night with papers for their parents to keep and some papers to bring back to class the next day.
It usually takes the first nine weeks to establish that routine — but repetition leads to good study habits, Johnson said.
During the past 40 years Johnson has dealt with a variety of situations from bathroom accidents to weaning children from the separation anxiety of being left at school by a parent.
Johnson said one of her biggest challenges was the year she had a runner.
When the class went out for recess, one little girl would take off running for home.
“She was a fast runner and none of us could catch her. We finally had to call the police, who caught her and tried to reason with the little girl. After the second time the police brought her back, the officer was more stern and the little girl never bolted again,” Johnson said.
None of those situations have made her think of quitting, though.
“I have heard people say you just know when it’s time to retire. For me, that time hasn’t come yet. I love my job and I love watching my students learn,” Johnson said.