SOE alumna Nina Johnson ’04, M.A. ’07, has enjoyed great success as a teacher, recently achieving National Board Certification in Early and Middle Childhood Literacy: Reading-Language Arts. Nina credits the School of Education for preparing her to become nationally certified – an advanced teaching credential that complements a state teaching credential. “The LMU School of Education is excellent for anyone serious about teaching, understanding the way students learn and making discoveries while putting theory into practice using cutting-edge strategies,” she said.
Nina currently teaches first grade at 75th Street Elementary in the Los Angeles Unified School District, where she makes reading a significant part of her curriculum. She acknowledges LMU’s master’s degree program in child and adolescent literacy for her skills in developing students’ literacy. She was most inspired by a course taught by Professor Candace Poindexter, where she had the opportunity to tutor students. She said of the experience, “I learned strategies for teaching literacy and meeting the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse learners. This course was inspiring and it is especially useful today since the primary language spoken by my students and their families is Spanish.”
When asked to describe her life as a teacher, Nina said, “My job is one of the great loves of my life. Just being a part of this life changing process is rewarding. I consider myself blessed to have the opportunity to impact so many young lives.”