Among the teachers retiring, one holds a special place in the hearts of the students and staff of Gretna High School. Tamara Johnson has been a staple at Gretna High for many years. She has become a favorite of many students and helped shape who they are.
“I’ve been teaching for 40 years since 1985, and this will be my last year,” Johnson said. “I’m going to retire at the end of the school year, and I’ve been at Gretna since 2015.”
Over her years, she has been a part of the learning process for thousands of students. She was able to take advantage of her opportunity to leave an important impact on so many students’ growing minds.
“I think the biggest lesson I learned is that everybody can learn and everybody has a right to an education,” Johnson said. “But not everybody fits into our model of the school system. And so what we have to do as teachers is we have to figure out what works for each kid and then meet them where they are.”
Her connection with her kids teaches all her students about the importance of inclusion in the classroom.
Johnson has continued to make an impact within the building. One specific person that she has impacted is GHS chemistry teacher Rylie Johnson.
“Mrs. Johnson is one of the most incredible teachers I’ve met, incredible to have as a teacher to student, but now coworker as well,” Rylie Johnson said. “She’s taught me so much not just about being a teacher, but just in life in general, and the school is definitely not going be the same without her.” Every person in every industry has a different “why,” a reason why they do what they do. Everyone’s why stems from different places, whether that be personal experience, media or people in their lives.
“In the second grade, I decided I was either going to be a teacher or a doctor,” Tamara Johnson said. “I feel that teaching is a calling. I decided, as I got older and older and went through school myself, I felt I could impact more people by being a teacher. Yes, you can impact people by being a doctor. You can save lives, you can help people become healthier or whatever, but I felt that I would impact more people in a positive way if I were a teacher. They could go out and take the lessons that they learned in class and use those to impact people in their lives.”
Tamara used her influence to pass on the love for science and education to many of her students, like Rylie.
“The biggest takeaway (from Tamara) is just get kids back in lab as much as possible, to be empathetic towards all kids, and just make a space that is a comfortable environment for students so they can learn and thrive not only as students but as people,” Rylie said.
As a teacher and mentor to many, Tamara’s imprint on Gretna High School goes far beyond what she has taught students about chemistry. She has become such an idol to many.
“Mrs. Johnson has made an impact on every student she has come in contact with,” Rylie said. “She has the biggest heart. She is so empathetic, she just has such a high level of love, not only for teaching but just for making students feel welcome and loved at school.”
Science holds a lot of weight across the world. It is in every aspect of government, healthcare, business industries and more.
“I think the biggest impact on the classes is just to develop a love for science, because I love teaching science,” Tamara said. “And just develop a love for using the scientific method in all aspects of our lives because things are a little bit tenuous right now in the country. And so I want people to use that day-to-day in their daily life to make informed decisions, use science.”
Life after retirement is full of the unknown and excitement. After a well-run 40 years, Tamara has many plans for what is to come.
“I’m going to send a picture, and I’m going to be at Yellowstone National Park that says ‘this is what retirement looks like’ or I’m going to be on a roadtrip with my husband and one of my sister-in-laws and brother-in-laws and well just be traveling around the country or other countries and I’ll hold up a sign and take a picture that says ‘this is what retirement looks like,’” Tamara said.
Legacy is a huge part of a teacher’s motivation, and they have to ask themself “what impact do I want to leave?”
“If I taught kids one lesson that’s a hard one… be kind,” Tamara said.
