Pat Johnson
Pat Johnson
Pat was born and raised in Rutherford, NJ and received her undergraduate degree in education from Douglass College, a part of Rutgers University. She earned her master's degree at Bowie State College in Maryland and completed her post-graduate work at George Mason University, University of Virginia, and Virginia Tech.
"When I came out of college in 1972 with a degree to teach English K-12, there were very few jobs. Teachers were in abundance. I landed a job, over an hour from my home, teaching reading to middle school students in a rural community. These seventh graders already had an English class, but many were deficient or reluctant readers, so the school decided they also needed a reading class. There was no curriculum, no materials, and no one in the building to act as my mentor. Though I was a first year teacher, the entire program was up to me - six classes a day of thirty students each. There were very few teachers known as "reading specialists" at that time, so the principal suggested I continue to go for a master's degree in reading. That was the best suggestion anyone ever gave me, as it helped me find my life's work. Early on, I learned a lot of what I know on-the-job, literally flying by the seat of my pants, but I have remained a learner throughout my career. I enjoy going to state and national conferences, listening to other teacher's thoughts and ideas, and am an avid reader of professional journals and texts.
"I spent 20 years in elementary schools and 4 in middle schools, most of that time working as a reading specialist. (I stayed home raising children for seven years and had a tutoring clinic in my home.) When I work with teachers and students I go into their classrooms to help solve the problems that teachers face daily. I believe that working with teachers over time, building on their repertoire, is the most effective way to support ongoing learning. When I give a one-time-only workshop, I always encourage teachers to continue the conversations that began that day. Reading a professional book together is one way to support that learning."
"I have also taught at George Mason University (adjunct faculty), working with teachers on integration of language arts, content area reading, developing reading and writing workshops, and working with struggling readers and/or diverse populations. I am Reading Recovery trained and worked as a RR teacher for 7 years. I've also acted as a consultant/presenter on many long term staff development projects with schools. In recent years, I developed a program called "Literacy Learning Groups" (LLG) where Title I reading teachers would attend sessions throughout the school year with two classroom teacher colleagues. Together they would expand their knowledge of reading process, learn about current research related to student achievement, collaborate on better ways to support struggling readers, and read about or share ideas on all aspects of a balanced literacy approach in classrooms."
Though semi-retired, Pat sill works as a literacy consultant. "There are so many teachers out there who are doing an incredible job, but are still stumped by a few students who are just not making it as readers. My current mission is to help teachers, veteran or brand new ones, learn the most effective ways to support children who are struggling with the process of learning to read and write."
"I like to think that my expertise lies in supporting teachers who want to help their neediest readers and writers. Getting all teachers to fully grasp reading process is crucial for me. We all need to understand how reading works -- how does a child develop a reading system which enables him to figure out the print and understand the meaning of a text? And there's no simple answer to that question. It takes time and experience working with children who are struggling with that process to come to a greater understanding. I enjoy being there beside teachers, supporting them, modeling for them, giving feedback to them as they are engaged in the daily teaching of reading."
Pat's approach to professional development is that it should be an ongoing, continuous process. "I definitely put more weight into teachers learning and growing slowly, over time, than in overwhelming them with too much information all at once." Her book, One Child at a Time, grew out of her work. "As I wrote, I found myself sharing the stories of teacher/student interactions that I had talked about or shown on video in my workshops. The hardest part about writing a book was being sure that my main message came across loud and clear." Pat has continued writing and now joining co-author Katie Keier who has recently published Catching Readers Before They Fall, K-4.
Pat and her husband, Rick, have been married for 35 years and have two adult daughters and four beautiful grandchildren. Pat and her husband divide their time between Northern Virginia and Arizona, where their younger daughter lives. Pat loves traveling, hiking, reading, playing cards, and going to the movies. She also enjoys casual conversations with teachers about any aspect of literacy.
Pat is also a storyteller. "On occasion, I will go to schools to tell three stories to all the K-2 students and three stories to all the 3-5 students. There is nothing more rewarding than having 200 faces looking up at you enraptured by the tale you are weaving."
Author's Website
http://www.catchingreaders.com
Other Articles about Pat Johnson
Podcast: Pat Johnson and Katie KeierPat Johnson talks about her new book in EdNews
Five new e-book titles available
