FACULTY/STAFF
Linda with a group of students after a spelling bee in 1986
"We've Always Been Warriors"
I
Linda Johnson’s Lasting Legacy
By Bekah Johnson, Advancement and Alumni Relations
In August of 1979 while LRCA (then Walnut Valley Christian Academy) was entering only its third year as a school, Linda Johnson was arriving on campus as a brand-new Warrior faculty member. Now, after 41 years of service and hundreds of students’ lives touched, Linda is hanging up her teacher and librarian hats and taking some well-deserved time for herself. We asked her to reflect on her many experiences over the years. BJ: What led you to become a teacher? LJ: Can you think of any other job where you get to spend every day learning new things with a group of people you know and love? Is there another profession where the best questions drive direction, and success is measured in the changed lives of children? Is there a career with a new start every year, where boredom is unheard of, and no two days are ever alike?
I’ve been a learner, a friend, a member of a school family, a mover of multitudes of boxes, shelves, and furniture, and an honored participant in the lives of some outstanding educators. BJ: What has been the most rewarding part of your job? LJ: Where to start? Watching the face of a student, when the eyes widen, and the smile spreads, that Light Bulb Moment when learning is almost visible, has to be the best thing. Understanding something that, a moment before, was not known is like magic. Helping children
BJ: Describe the different roles you’ve had at LRCA. LJ: Officially, I’ve been a teacher in grades one, two, and three. I have also been curriculum coordinator and then a librarian. Unofficially
28 THE WARRIOR • SPRING 2020
WVCA teachers Debbie Norman, Rachelle Petty Hankins, Ann Owen Chami, Linda Johnson, Linda Neaves
