3 minute read
New Perspectives Introducing Dr. Nadia Johnson
The Road to New Perspectives
›› 2014 Castilleja’s new Mission Statement defines a school that “educates motivated young women to become confident thinkers and compassionate leaders with a sense of purpose to effect change in the world.”
›› 2015 The new Diversity and Inclusion Statement commits to creating a community where “we are learning from diverse voices and experiences, and we aspire to engage our differences with courage, honesty, intellectual curiosity, and respect.”
›› 2019 Castilleja posts a job description for a new leadership role to align “all programming to promote equity and inclusion as guiding principles in the curriculum and the community culture.”
›› 2021 In July, Dr. Nadia Johnson will become Castilleja’s first Assistant Head of Curriculum and Community, and in that role, she will lead a process of drawing together our diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, our antiracism teaching and learning commitments, our core classroom curriculum, and our co-curricular programming. Dr. Johnson appreciates that this alignment is both critical to inclusive education and new among independent schools, “You are starting to see schools understand that real transformation happens when we teach equity through the curriculum, but it’s still unique.” Dr. Johnson believes that by creating this leadership role, Castilleja has sent an important symbolic and structural message. She explains,
Although Dr. Johnson’s arrival falls within an era of painful reckoning over injustice on a national level, Head of School Nanci KauffmanHA—with the perspective of over two decades at Castilleja—understands that the call to elevate DEI initiatives is as much about the mission of the school as it is about this moment in time. “If we are truly committed to preparing compassionate leaders who will effect change in the world, we need to deepen their understanding of a different narrative of history and help them to see what is possible in their future. In a cohesive community where inclusion permeates our relationships and our pedagogy, students prepare for leadership by learning to navigate in a diverse world.” The fact that Dr. Johnson will be a newcomer to Silicon Valley was something that Jeff Mayfield, who teaches Spanish and was a member of the search committee, found especially valuable. “She brings a different point of view to our conversations; a perspective that comes from outside the community can be so helpful when you think about inclusion and learning.” Even more important, though, he also believes that Dr. Johnson’s presence will have a broader impact on the entire community, “Having another female of color on the Leadership Team will be inspiring to many students, and I hope it will also inspire more educators of color to seriously consider joining the Castilleja community.”
To some degree, Castilleja’s path toward Dr. Johnson began when we adopted our new mission statement, but to another degree it dates back over a century when the school was created to increase access to education. Similarly, Dr. Johnson’s role as an educational leader is intrinsic to who she is.
“My dad was born and raised in 1936 in the segregated south. Much of his and his family's story is punctuated by virulent racism that includes racial violence. My Indo-Trinidadian grandmother was a child bride, married at about the age of 11, a practice that was just outlawed in Trinidad in 2017. Listening to their stories growing up, I was filled with pride, knowing the obstacles they overcame, but I also felt a deep sense of injustice that they had to face those obstacles at all. Knowing what they had to overcome is part of why this work is so important to me.”
Dr. Johnson is looking forward to the ways that her own life story will join Castilleja’s story soon, “I’m hoping to grow and learn with the Castilleja community. This is an exciting moment for the school and for me as we see how our different voices add to a shared journey."
