By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
As an eighth grade math teacher, Laura Johns has no qualms about using games to painlessly slip in math lessons.
“You can sneak math in there,” Johns said with a smile. “I feel like I pulled one over on them.”
Johns, who was recognized by the BG Kiwanis Club Thursday as an inspirational educator at Bowling Green Middle School, started out her presentation with some confessions.
First, she often goes off on tangents with her students. “But they are mathing,” she assured.
Second, while very appreciative, she also feels awkward being honored among the other Inspirational Educators she admires.
And third, she is a procrastinator, so, you know …
Johns, the first in her family from the Philippines to be born in the U.S., comes from a family of “big brains.”
“I realized pretty early on that I loved math,” she said. And she has proof of her success with numbers – a trophy she received in a math tournament. Occasionally, she will pull the trophy off the shelf and remind her students that they are being taught by a champion.
But Johns also recalls that she went through some tough periods herself in middle school – almost missing out on a trip to Washington, D.C. So she has some understanding of the daily rollercoaster ride faced by middle school students.
“They are just making bad choices right now,” but that doesn’t have to define their futures, Johns said.
Johns remembers her teachers investing time in her and inspiring her to do her best.
“By the time I was a senior, I was pretty sure I wanted to be a teacher,” she said. Her plan was to become a high school math teacher.
“I ended up at the middle school. Eighth graders present challenges, but they’re still so much fun.”
Johns was full of praise for her fellow teachers and administrators at Bowling Green Middle School, where she has taught for 18 years. She came into the job as a traditional math teacher, but they taught her how to be creative with curriculum – while meeting state requirements.
“We have a shared goal of seeing student success,” she said.
After procrastinating, Johns decided that she wanted to share her “Top 10” favorites about teaching on Thursday.
At the very top of the list was catching students in moments of unfiltered kindness and tolerance. “That’s my favorite,” she said.
She told of students reaching out to others who have suffered personal losses, getting loners to be less alone in math class, and recently, one girl helping another get applesauce out of her hair.
Next came watching students “hating math a little less,” followed by seeing students become math thinkers.
Johns makes a point to share her non-teaching life in her math lessons and in her conversations with students. “They need to know me,” she said – though she expected her young children would be mortified if they knew the stories she shared.
One of the best feelings is being missed when she is gone for a day. Upon her return, the students will greet her with “Don’t ever leave us again.”
Johns believes in being someone who students want to share things with – whether that’s a student sending her a math YouTube video, or being invited to a student’s quinceanera.
She takes joy in seeing a student’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion as they work through a concept, then raise with comprehension once they understand.
Hearing a student say “math’s over already?” is an extra thrill.
The teachers on the Endeavor team teaching model also made the cut. And working together with the entire middle school staff to help students love learning, is magical.
“Everyone pulls together,” she said.
Recognized last week as an inspirational teacher was Nichole Simonis, who teaches fourth grade at Conneaut Elementary. The other Bowling Green teachers being recognized this month by the Kiwanis are:
- Melissa Hemminger on Feb. 16. Hemminger teaches kindergartners at Crim Elementary School. She is in her 14th year of teaching, having also taught at Milton Elementary and Kenwood Elementary.
- Jeff Nichols on Feb. 23. Nichols is a social studies and government teacher at Bowling Green High School. He is also president of the Bowling Green Education Association.
