Each time a student at the Alternate Optional Education Center (AOEC) campus of Waukegan High School earns credits necessary for graduation, teachers and schoolmates gather around a large gong as the student sets off a loud noise signifying their achievement.
Brian Johnson, a literature teacher at the school, has another ceremony for the teen attaining the academic level necessary to graduate. With numerous posters displayed around his classroom, Johnson invites the youngster to choose one to take with him. He adds a message on the back.
“Each kid here has added something to the class,” Johnson said. “Each one has grown in their own way. I want them to take it with them to remember what they achieved. I tell them the room is permanently changed because you are leaving.”
Giving the poster is one of several ways AOEC Assistant Principal Irvin Jerry said Johnson makes an impact on his students and the school, often going above and beyond his responsibilities as a teacher. He also serves on committees including the leadership team.
Johnson was named one of the 30 statewide finalists out of more than 470 applicants for the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching on Feb. 18 by the Golden Apple Foundation in Chicago for the advancement of educational opportunities for students.
“We’re really excited for him,” Jerry said. “He is an outstanding teacher, and does so many things for the school. It’s an opportunity for people to see what’s being done at Waukegan High School.”
Finalists for the Golden Apple Award demonstrate the ability to have a lasting, positive impact on their students and the school community, fostering their students’ growth for the long term, according to a news release from the association.
Joining the Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 faculty at the start of the 2016-2017 school year, Johnson began his career at the high school’s Brookside Campus teaching literature to freshmen and sophomores in a remedial environment. Literature is a way to help them grow, he said.
“It helps kids develop an identity and a voice,” Johnson said. “Literature is the fire, and they provide the oxygen to stoke the fire.”
After three years at the Brookside campus, Johnson moved to the AOEC where he teaches teens ranging from freshmen to seniors in a variety of situations. Many have diverse abilities working at their own pace. They choose to be there.
“There are students who want to graduate early and have very high IQs, and others who learn more slowly,” he said. “It’s a microcosm of the whole school community, but it’s not for everybody.”
Each teacher considered for a Golden Apple Award must be nominated by someone who was touched by his or her teaching in some way. Johnson said his nominator chose to remain anonymous. He learned about it in December.
Not knowing about the Golden Apple Award before his nomination, Johnson said he initially was uncertain about undergoing the application process. After talking to his mother and sister, both onetime teachers, he changed his mind.
“My family told me it is a pretty significant award and it’s going to help my school,” Johnson said.
Melissa Lee, Johnson’s sister and a one-time first-grade teacher in Rantoul, said the nomination itself, “is a big honor.” She also knows the effort her brother puts into his career, and how devoted he is to helping his students.
“Someone who knows you thinks you deserve this,” Lee said, referring to the nomination letter. “They took the trouble to nominate you and they deserve an answer.”
Completing the application required answering five essay questions with between 300 and 800 words. They involved working with students, mentorship, diversity and more. Three recommendations were mandated — one from an administrator, one from a colleague and a third from a non-family member.
Should Johnson be one of the award winners, he will learn about it in the spring when representatives of the Golden Apple Foundation arrive at the AOEC for a surprise visit, according to the release.
