Best form of contact: Email or phone

 

Hello Families!

 

My name is Hillary Johnson and I will be your child’s early childhood special
education teacher and extended day teacher for the 2019-2020 school year! This is
my fourth year teaching at Northwood and I am beyond excited to meet the students
and begin a year of growth, exploration and learning.
A little bit about myself: I am originally from Southern California (Orange County
area) but I moved up here to attend Seattle Pacific University where I received my
BA in Psychology. While doing my undergrad, I had an internship with Mosaic
Children’s Therapy Center doing Applied Behavior Analysis and teaching social
skills classes to children with autism. I then attended the University of Washington
to receive my masters in Early Childhood Special Education and my BCBA (board
certified behavior analyst). While doing my masters, I was able to work at the
Experimental Education Unit, Boyer Children’s Clinic and Daniel Bagley Elementary.
It was such a great experience working with a wide range of ages from toddlers to
5th graders. It was here I realized that preschool is my favorite age to teach. Aside
from teaching, I love to work out at Orange Theory Fitness, travel around the world
(I went to India last year!), read and explore West Seattle. I also got married this
summer at Chamber’s Bay Golf course and took a mini-moon to Banff!
A little about the classroom: I will be implementing the Creative Curriculum, a
forward-thinking, comprehensive, research-based and research-proven curriculum.
The curriculum allows students to be their most effective, while still honoring their
creativity and respecting their critical role in making learning exciting and relevant.
I also believe in promoting a positive and inclusive learning environment at all
times. I know that every child has the capacity to learn and participate with the right
accommodations and modifications in place.

I want to establish a strong relationship with all of you and determine the best mode

of communication, whether it is email, phone calls or a note sent home. I urge you to
communicate any thoughts or concerns you might have about your child and I will
do my best to work with you to determine a plan of action. Overall, I am very excited
for the start of the school year and hope you are too!