At Hendersonville High School, English teacher Adam Johnson was nominated by a fellow teacher who has a kid in one of his classes. She says Johnson goes above and beyond to make learning fun, and to show up for kids outside of the classroom.
Melissa Nitsche gives her co-worker a hug, thanking him for a job well done. Today's lesson is about commas, and, Adam Johnson manages to keep it entertaining by using fun, real-life examples.
Nitsche's son is one of Johnson's students. She's seen a difference.
"For my son to come home and be like ‘I want to talk about this project’ That’s huge. That’s huge because he’s very quiet and subdued," says Nitsche.
Junior Matt Ammann also enjoys English class.
"I look forward to fifth period every day. It’s right before lunch. It’s a good class. He always has good energy. He’s never in a bad mood or anything," says Ammann
This is Johnson's sixth year teaching at Hendersonville High. After a previous career in retail management, he followed his heart and made a change.
"Teaching has always been what I thought was my passion, what I was drawn to do," explains Johnson. "The role models of my youth were teachers."
Nitsche, who is also the soccer coach at Hendersonville High says Johnson also supports his students outside the classroom by showing up at some of the games.
"One of the most recent ones, it was pouring rain, and I look up, and there he is with his umbrella, just sitting there, and just the support he shows these kids," recalls the coach.
"If I can show up at the field or at the court to show them that I’m rooting for them in that way, I think that means a lot to kids. If the weather’s bad, the weather’s bad. If they can play in it, I can be there and support them," says Johnson.
Support, Coach Nitsche says that leads to respect and a desire to work harder in his classroom.
"I think he’s creating some young adults that are going to do great things in the world," states Coach Nitsche.
STORY & PHOTO COURTESY OF ABC 13 WLOSThanks to Teachers: Adam Johnson | WLOS
