The eldest of five children, Susan Johnson was well-equipped for a career in education from the very start. She was inspired early in her studies by an introduction to teaching class that focused on education, which led to a near-immediate realization that education was the career for her. Ultimately achieving a master’s degree in education, she began her career as a teacher in the University of Alaska System before transitioning to elementary education, teaching fifth and sixth grades in the Anchorage School District for 20 years. Ms. Johnson subsequently returned to higher education as an adjunct professor at the University of Montana, where she remained for 12 years until her retirement in 2001.
Not content to sit quietly in her retirement, Ms. Johnson spent the next 10 years as a supervisor for student teachers. One of the most memorable moments in her career came when she was working with one of her student teachers while she herself was still teaching in the classroom. Knowing she was going to be away, she gave her student teacher some limited instruction on how to run the class while she was out but let him figure out most of what he needed to do on his own. When she returned, her student teacher was concerned that he hadn’t done things right, but Ms. Johnson was thrilled that he had been able to give the students a good lesson and encouraged him to rely on himself and his skills.
Furthermore, Ms. Johnson devoted much time and energy to maintaining her farm alongside her husband. They raised cows, sheep and pigs and had a large garden. Today, she is doing considerable work advocating for people with Parkinson’s disease and providing information on how to care for those with the ailment. Remaining in touch with the education field, Ms. Johnson has also established a scholarship in her mother’s name.
For her excellence, Ms. Johnson has been the recipient of a number of accolades over the course of her career. She was notably recognized with an award for being the “Queen Mentor” as part of her work as a supervisor for student teachers. As a distinguished Marquis listee, Ms. Johnson has been featured in the Marquis Who’s Who Millennium Magazine and presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest honor conferred by Marquis Who’s Who.