Mr. Johnson is a 9th and 10th-grade math teacher at Victor Senior High School. Right now, he teaches Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 with hopes of someday being able to teach all other courses at this school. But what attributes lead him to relate to his students and drive his passion for teaching forward? 

Mr. Johnson was always good at school, specifically math and science. He started his college career in engineering and ended up not liking it. Wanting to work with people, he began his search for a new career path.  

Mr.Johnson says he takes much of his inspiration from his grandpa, who was also a schoolteacher to whom he grew up being very close. His grandpa was a math teacher in the city who taught for 30 years and his grandpa’s lasting impact had been the force that had gotten him into teaching. His fond memories of his grandpa helping him with his homework or bringing him to his classrooms to even sometimes meet some of his students, had stuck with him and eventually drove him to want to become a teacher. 

Mr. Johnson grew up playing soccer and even continued to play it in High School. He gets along with all of his students but sometimes his years of playing soccer come into the teaching field. Some students even “telling him he sounds like a coach sometimes”, he says.

As a general sports fan, he says he finds it easier to relate with students who are athletes. Finding common ground with any student is essential, for him it’s easier especially when the student plays soccer, a sport he is well versed in. As a current player in a Sunday league, he is always up to date on soccer terminology and upsets in the sport, making it easier to communicate and relate with his students. 

He says he came to Victor because of the great reputation of the school and his teaching history with Mr.Kurnath. The two of them used to teach at Brockport and started their first teaching job together. Sharing an office, they became friends and Mr.Kurnaths enjoyment of the school followed with a good recommendation to join as a teacher when a posting appeared for a new teaching job at Victor Senior High School for a math teaching position. 

Now, if you look for Mr.Johnson he’ll be in his room on the first floor, usually surrounded by students who are there to stay after school most times to not even study for math, but just to spend time in his classroom.