小蝌蚪APP

Robots, Drones and Green Slime

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Posted on March 22, 2022

Thomas Becnel

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The 小蝌蚪APP is running a series beginning Martin Luther King Jr. Day that focuses on South students, employees and alumni who are advancing Dr. King鈥檚 vision in six areas 鈥� poverty, jobs and wages, housing, education, justice and peace. Today鈥檚 story, the last in the series, is on education. 

Timothy Johnson enjoyed his first 鈥渁ha鈥� teaching moment even before he began studying education at the 小蝌蚪APP.

As a freshman, he planned to study psychology, but took a student job as a reading tutor at Fonde Elementary School.

鈥淚 was helping struggling readers and the kids started to improve, started to enjoy reading,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 realized it was about finding interest. There was this third-grade boy who liked race cars, sports, anything with action. So I鈥檇 take him to the library and we鈥檇 get one book the teacher wanted him to read and one book that he could choose. I realized that if I could find interest with students, we could make progress. That was the moment where I said, 鈥極K, let鈥檚 try education.鈥欌��

Johnson attended South on a track and field scholarship and earned a degree in elementary education. He began teaching STEM subjects 鈥� Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics 鈥� at Mobile elementary schools.

Finding student interest in science meant hands-on learning. Toys and technology. Projects and experiments. Using everything from robots and flying drones to 3D printers and Nickelodeon鈥檚 Green Slime.

鈥淚鈥檓 competing against computers and video games 鈥� how could I engage them?鈥� Johnson asked. 鈥淚 thought, I need to be an innovator for these students.鈥�

Johnson became a laboratory instructor at E.R. Dickson Elementary School. He presented papers at STEM conferences. He attended a NASA camp in Huntsville and the ExxonMobil Teacher Academy in Philadelphia.  

Last year, Johnson, 34, became an Alabama Technology in Motion specialist at South, serving students and teachers in 10 school districts. He also began appearing in a program called 鈥淎labama STEM Explorers鈥� on Alabama Public Television.

鈥淚 still get chills when I see myself on television,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 went to Saraland Elementary one time and this kid said, 鈥業 know you! Aren鈥檛 you on that TV show on Saturday?鈥欌��

Mentors and Colleagues

One of Johnson鈥檚 mentors was Dr. Carl Cunningham Jr., the former head of Multicultural Student Affairs at South, who is now director of student support services at Coastal Alabama Community College. Through a Mobile Kappa League program, he began advising Johnson as a high school sophomore.

鈥淗e鈥檚 never been a boisterous guy, but he was always a detail guy, and he has great follow-through,鈥� Cunningham said. 鈥淎t South Alabama, he continued with that. My advice for him was to stay the course.鈥�

He was thrilled when Johnson turned to education 鈥� especially elementary education and science education.  

鈥淗e saw the need to have more black men in that space,鈥� Cunningham said. 鈥淗e saw how successful he could be, particular with boys.鈥�

Last year, Johnson began work for Technology in Motion, a STEM program in Alabama public schools, providing support and training for educators in five counties.

Johnson works with Nikkesha Hooks, program director of Technology in Motion. She appreciates his experience in STEM, project-based learning and instructional technology.

鈥淭imothy has been working with local schools to support technology integration, digital literacy and computer science,鈥� Hooks said. 鈥淭imothy is a successful educator who is hard working and dedicated, but most of all enjoys what he does.鈥�

Sprinting to South

Johnson grew up in Prichard, just north of Mobile, where his father was a parole officer and his mother was a bookkeeper. His grandmother was a 6th-grade social studies teacher. He was in her class one year.

鈥淭hat was a different experience,鈥� he said, laughing. 鈥淪he鈥檇 say, 鈥楧on鈥檛 worry, I鈥檒l just tell your daddy.鈥欌��

When he wasn鈥檛 at school, he and his friends rode bikes and played sports. Anything to stay outside.

At LeFlore Magnet High School, Johnson competed in track and field. He ran the 100 meters, 200 meters and the 400-meter relays. He trained for years.

鈥淚t鈥檚 something you have to work on,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 technique, technique, technique.鈥�

Johnson won a track scholarship to South, where his coach was Lee Evans, an Olympic gold medalist famous for giving a Black Power salute at the Mexico City Olympic Games in 1968. The physical training was difficult. He also learned from weekly counseling and relaxation sessions.

鈥淚t helped us with school, also, just managing stress and the expectations of others,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen I first started teaching, it was like 鈥榊ou need to do this鈥� and 鈥榊ou need to do that,鈥� and I was able to walk inside my classroom and do what I needed to do for my students.鈥�

One of Johnson鈥檚 sisters is a nurse. The other is a teacher and mathematics coach. His older brother is a principal in Birmingham.

鈥淲hen something new comes out in education, we鈥檒l talk about how things might be implemented at our schools,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y brother, he鈥檒l be asking us what questions teachers might have.鈥�

In 2010, Johnson earned his bachelor鈥檚 degree at South in the College of Education and Professional Studies. While teaching, he earned a master鈥檚 degree. In 2019, while at Dickson Elementary School, Johnson was named Outstanding Alabama Elementary School Science Teacher.

He used to keep a journal, about what he was doing and what he needed to do better. He remains a stickler for lesson plans and lab prep.

鈥淚 plan everything out and set up everything up for the next day,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o I can I just walk in and start teaching, which makes the job a lot easier.鈥�

Each summer, he makes time for camps, seminars and professional development courses.

鈥淲hen you鈥檙e pouring out information in all class all year, you need to refill your tank in the summer,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t keeps you on your toes, especially in science education.鈥�

In December, Johnson married Celeste Napier, an adjunct chemistry lab professor at South. They met on campus as undergraduates. Now they鈥檙e colleagues.

On one of his jackets, Johnson wears souvenir pins from NASA and different science camps. A different kind of pin represents Secret Scientist, a clothing brand started by a friend of his.

In his spare time, he enjoys reading science fiction and anime. His relaxes by fishing with his cell phone turned off.

In Mobile, Johnson sees former students of his all the time. Some of them are high school kids ready to become adults. He鈥檚 never been tempted to teach older students.

鈥淚t鈥檚 easier to talk to kids,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd I鈥檇 rather start with children than work with them at the end stage of their education. I feel like the greatest impact I can have is at the elementary level.鈥�

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