Jerry Johnson

Professional Experience

1999–present Brodeur Partners (Washington, DC)

Partner/Advisor

Lead strategic planning function for international agency including design, development of issues management and brand planning.  Clients included Corning, Deloitte, Discovery, Dartmouth.  Developed and led agency’s public policy, advocacy, and issues management practice. Clients included the American Cancer Society, the Biotechnology Industry Organization, Digital Media Association, Orbitz.

1997–1999 Frederick Schneiders (Washington, DC)

SVP, Research and planning

Led qualitative and quantitative public affairs, advocacy, and market communications research. Clients included American Plastics Council, Hearst Publications, Johnson & Johnson, PGA TOUR, and, PhRMA.

1991–1997 Powell Tate Public Affairs (Washington, DC)

Vice President, International 

Founding member of the public affairs agency led by Jody Powell, former White House press secretary and Shiela Tate, former press secretary to First Lady Nancy Reagan. Led successful campaigns to revise U.S.-Japan semiconductor and U.S.-Japan aviation treaties. Clients: Delta Air Lines, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Nissan North America.

1989–1991 Ogilvy & Mather (Washington, DC)

Vice President, Research and planning

Managed successful international patent infringement case for Honeywell leading to multi-million-dollar settlement. Coordinated activity in support of several high-profile mergers including Matsushita’s acquisition of Universal Studios.

1982–1989 Japanese Foreign Ministry (Washington, DC)

Senior Political Advisor

In-house political and communications counsel to the Japanese government under three ambassadors. Managed communications for seven Japan-US bilateral summit meetings and advised the government on international crises.

1976–1979 Texas state legislature (austin, tx.)

Philosophy of Teaching

I believe the purpose of school lies in both learning and development. The former addresses content knowledge and those learning standards often required by law. But it also incorporates more than just what we learn, it includes learning how we learn, and more importantly, why we learn. Those latter two, knowing how to learn and how to apply that learning in your life, is the foundation for individual development.

I view the role of the teacher as both instructor and guide. The former addresses the instruction both of facts and information but also the instruction of how to interpret and apply those facts in a way that is logical, meaningful, and helpful to both the student and to others. The latter role is equally if not more important. The teacher is a mix of coach, trainer, adviser, Sherpa, and fan club for his or her students. The goal is to help shape and stoke the natural abilities and curiosities of the student.

Learners and learning

I believe everyone is a learner. Everyone has both the interest and capability of learning things. The goal of the teacher is to give – or better, foster – the confidence, competence and curiosity to learn more.

 I assume everyone wants and has the ability to learn. That is both my experience and my assumption entering teaching. Students may not want to learn the same things. They may be resistant to new thoughts and new ideas. They may, like most of us, sometimes be lazy. However, my experience is that people in general and students specifically have both a desire and an ability to learn, develop, and grow. Each student brings with him or her their own “funds of knowledge” that they can apply in the classroom. The goal of the teacher is to find the right approach, the right strategy, and the right application that taps into that “funds of knowledge” and unlocks or triggers a student’s desire to learn and to nurture that both inside and outside the classroom.

 Students are both individuals and social beings. Students are part of a class, and members of a grade and all have to perform at a certain level of proficiency. However, my experience is that just like adults, every student is an individual. It is important to see students as such. I think it is important to take a “difference perspective” and not a “deficit” perspective in instruction. A teacher should adapt to meet the particular needs of students always playing to their strengths whether it was in technical knowledge, athletics, social currency or other areas.

 I believe people learn from those they trust and respect. I believe teaching is relational. Learning starts and ends with connections. The instructor needs to connect with the student. The student needs to connect with both the instructor and the subject matter. Students learn when they know that their teacher not only shows interest in their learning but also show interest in them. Building strong relationships with your students is intentional. It isn’t something that will “just happen.” As a teacher one has to have both the desire and the strategy (i.e., action) to build a relationship that supports learning.

Content knowledge

Everyone accesses content knowledge in their own manner. It isn’t that one learning pattern is necessarily better than another but that students, as individuals, respond and react to different approaches in different ways. Some methods work better for some students than others. I have seen this in my instruction in community youth organizations as well as in youth athletics. In these settings I’ve found that I need to approach learning at multiple levels including theory, application, repetition, and play. Not only is a multi-faceted approach to content and learning more inclusive, but it also is more effective overall as it can connect the intellectual with the kinesthetic and sensory.

I believe in a three-fold content knowledge strategy:

 Combine access with understanding – Instruction needs to go beyond merely granting and providing students access to content. With every effort in making content accessible, the instructor needs to monitor for understanding. The latter should be constant. That is, it needn’t be in the form of formal exams but instead is often best done in real time, continuously “checking in” with the student to make sure that content is understood before new information presented. When one finds that students are struggling, it is time to rethink the approach, perhaps break down the information or steps into simpler, easier- to-grasp concepts and build from there.

 Link knowledge with application – I believe that students learn best when they understand how they can use the content and knowledge that is being taught. In the case of history and social studies new information is presented, the teacher should ask the student how they would apply that knowledge and insight to understand and address contemporary issues. The more that a teaching can connect what has happened in the past to things that are happening today – particularly those things relevant to students today – the better the learning.

 Involve both the individual and the community – We live in a collaborative work environment. Regardless of the sector (business, non-profit, government, academia) success and growth are increasingly dependent on collaboration among individuals and divisions across the organization. Therefore, we should organize our classrooms so that students have the opportunity to both learn and solve problems collaboratively.

In sum, I believe the key to content knowledge is relevance, application, and engagement and that both the general class environment and the individual lesson plan must support that.

Instructional practices

I believe instruction should be clear, consistent, engaging, and fun.

First, students should have clarity on the expectations of them in the classroom and how those expectations will be evaluated over the course of the year. Assessment starts with clarity on the goals and objectives of an assignment along with a very unambiguous outline of how progress towards those goals will be measured.

Second, students must be engaged and actively participate in the learning process. We know from the literature that the more students are engaged and involved in both the process and direction of learning, the more effective and lasting that learning will be. This means going beyond lectures and reading and structuring lessons and classwork that include simulations, role play, small group discussions and other forms of student-led activities. Creating interactive learning environments can also help foster community within the classroom. They can be used to help break down cultural barriers both inside and outside the classroom.

Within the context of social studies and history, simulations, role play, and student-led learning are also excellent ways to expose students to different perspectives and engage in discussions on issues of social justice. These learning exercises often require students to look at developments from multiple perspectives within social and cultural contexts that are very different than those we have today. By exposing students to those forces that influenced thinking and behaviors in the past, the teacher can help them gain perspective, and hopefully empathy for multiple points of view today.

Finally, I believe instruction should be fun. There is a time for serious debate and study. Indeed, I think that occasionally there is a role for “mild stress” in a classroom to help keep students focused. However, I believe that every class and classroom should have a healthy dose of amusement, entertainment, and enjoyment. Fun in the classroom breaks down barriers. When done well, it allows students a chance to be themselves, laugh, smile, be goofy together and enjoy each other’s company. Fun in the classroom helps build community. It can also be a very productive break in the tension of learning.

Professional responsibility Being professionally responsible goes beyond a teacher’s relationship to individual students. I believe it is also anchored in a teacher’s commitment to fellow teachers and the school community. Organizations depend on employees who work collectively to solve problems. This is particularly true in a school setting. That means that teachers need to invest in each other, collaborating to address not just the challenges that an individual student faces but also issues facing the broader school community.

Being professionally responsible also means being a life-long learner. I have certainly seen that throughout my professional career. But it is particularly true in today’s environment where communications technology, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and other technologies are dramatically changing the way we engage, interact, and learn. The best teachers must always be students as well.

Overall, I believe one of the most important character traits to have as a teacher is humility. I have worked with both adults and teenagers in business, academic, faith and athletic environments for over thirty-five years. For all my experience, I am continually reminded how little I know. Indeed, sometimes my experience can get in the way of openness to new ways of pg. 7 looking at things. I believe the key to being a good teacher is to ground yourself in humility and always be open to new ideas, perspectives, and ways of doing things.

Additional Professional skills and experience

• Certification of completion, “Economic Way of Thinking,” Foundation for Teaching Economics (2021)

• Education abroad program, University of Nicosia, Cyprus (via GMU 2019)

• Certificate of completion, “Understanding Global Economic Issues,” George Mason University Center for Economic Education (2019)

• Seminar, Fairfax HS Social Studies Blended Cohort (2019)

• Group Mission Trips™, workcamp high school group leader (2008-2019)