Not Your Mama's Home Ec!

  • Anne Johnson

     

    I am a product of the Saint Paul Schools and I am still here!  Saint Paul was a wonderful place to grow up and has been a wonderful place to work.  While I went to many different schools because I moved around a lot, most of them were in Saint Paul! I drove a School Bus for 5 years, in both Saint Paul and Mpls, while I was in college and I have worked for Saint Paul Public Schools for over 20 years now, where     everyday is a new adventure!

    I started my post secondary training at Lakewood Community College (now known as Century College) and transferred to the College of Saint Catherine’s (now known as St. Catherine’s University) to complete my undergraduate degree in Family, Consumer and Nutritional Science.

    I started my teaching career as a consultant for the Vision Program at Monroe and then did some substitute teaching before I landed my first job at Washington, where I taught for 8 years.  I took a little time off and returned to Hazel Park Academy, where I spent the next 6 1/2 years, before returning to Washington in the fall of 2010.  I was excited about coming back to Washington and to the “new building,” it felt like I was coming home again after being away for a really long time! 

    I really believe that my job is important.  Family and Consumer Science is about the basics of Food, Shelter and Clothing and is the "hands on" of everything else!  The place where you have to put the skills you learn in all your other classes to work.  Reading instructions and Writing a cover letter to go with that resume or to fill out that job application, figuring out how much money you need to pay your bills and why you should have paid more attention in Math!  There is Science in every recipe as well as every product we purchase and the dynamics in the relationships of people have a long History in every situation.  So whether you will be the next great Chef, are thinking about Parenting or are dreaming of a career in Fashion, this is the place for you to begin!

    I have always dreamed of living on a farm and in the spring of 2011, my Husband and I bought a farm just outside of Rush City, Minnesota.  Life in the country is very different and very quiet, which is a nice change from the hustle and bustle of the city.  We are busy fixing up the old farmhouse and putting up lots of fencing for our Goats and Llamas, we have 17 Chickens that lay beautiful eggs and we will have baby chicks and pigs again in the spring.  We are always working on trail clearing and staying ahead of the burdock! The pond next to our house is especially beautiful when the sun is rising and the garden and orchard are both growing a little bigger and better every year. We are looking forward to building a new barn soon and maybe some Tiny Houses in our woods!

anne.y.johnson@spps.org