“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.”
Hi all! My name is Maura Johnson and I’m currently in my 19th year of teaching. I began my teaching career at the elementary level and middle school level, yet have been teaching at the high school level for the past nine years. I am state certified to teach elementary education (K-8) and English (K12) and hold a Teacher of the Handicapped certificate which certifies me to teach special needs students (K-12). I am currently teaching in the capacity of an English special education teacher for grades 10 and 11 at Sayreville War Memorial High School. Currently, I am halfway finished with my Masters in Reading Education through Rowan University.Reading and writing have been passions of mine since I was in elementary school. Fortunately for me, I have the opportunity to indulge these passions in my September through June job by teaching sophomore and junior English, in addition to teaching four enrichment courses at The Peddie School June -August. This summer will be my tenth year teaching enrichment courses at Peddie’s summer school program. I teach English 6, English 7 and English 8 as well as an Essay Writing class each summer. It is a wonderful environment to engage in novel study, in addition to analytic and reflective writing with my students.
My personal philosophy as a teacher of language arts is to instill a love of literature and expressive writing in my students. I always remind them that literature enriches our lives - it helps us understand ourselves and the world better, and writing coherently and eloquently is the most effective way to express our ideas and impact others.
In my free time I enjoy reading realistic fiction, true crime, and health books. I also use my free time to walk my rescue dog whom I fell in love with while volunteering at the Monmouth County SPCA , and working out while listening to my 90’s playlists.
I would love the opportunity to work with your children of all age levels and pass on my love of literacy to them! As I do with my enrichment summer classes, I am interested in teaching fundamental literacy skills, conducting novel studies, and teaching formal writing ranging from personal narratives to persuasive arguments. Beginning this April, I am available from 4 pm to 8 pm (teaching both indoors and outdoors) and on Saturday and Sunday mornings from 9 am to noon. I look forward to meeting you and your children!