English teacher Seth Johnson did not always know that he would find his passion in teaching kids how to write an article or helping them study the words of Christopher McCandless. Growing up, Johnson had two things in mind that he wanted to be. The first was a surgeon, so he could buy his mother a mobile home, something she had always wanted. The second was a chef, because “he had a cool hat.”
It wasn’t until the end of college that Johnson considered the idea of being a teacher. He was an English major and journalist at North Park University, but during the summer he worked at Covenant church camps.
“I really realized that I enjoyed hanging out with young people,” said Johnson, “so naturally – academics, liking to hang around with youth – it kinda makes sense that I should go into teaching.”
Johnson intends on incorporating a lot of technology and collaborative work into his classroom this year as well as increasing his own quality, consistency and accuracy with which he assesses student work.
Johnson loves to read, but he also describes himself as an “All-American boy” because of his love for sports. He is currently playing a Minnehaha faculty-versus-student fantasy football league.
“This is my 21st year of fantasy football,” he said. “My wife tolerates it.”
Johnson and his wife Kristen, a Minnehaha graduate (’96), welcomed their first baby, Axl, just 14 months ago.
“My first impression of Mr. Johnson was that he had a very vibrant personality,” said sophomore student Caroline Bejarano. “He’s a very nice guy who definitely is passionate about his work and what he teaches.”