An educator passionate about language, equity, and the power of global learning.
Johna teaches multilingual students at the only all-girl refugee school in the country. Her work is focused on developing academic English skills in a trauma-informed classroom. Restorative practices, honoring students' first language and home cultures, and strengths-based instruction are the building blocks of her teaching style.
This year she received the Fulbright scholarship and will embark on her field study to the Philippines. She will observe how community and educational values support multilingual learners and investigate what the United States can learn from a country recognized as a global leader in English-language learning as we reflect on our nation's history while shaping its future.
The work, up close.
She approaches the work with curiosity and persistent reflection. School is academic, but it is also social. The classrooms students return to are the ones where they feel they belong.
Guiding Question: As the United States reflects on its 250th anniversary, how can we build a future where multilingualism is recognized as an educational, civic, and economic asset? What can we learn from Filipino educational values and practices that have cultivated one of the world's strongest English-language learner populations while honoring students' linguistic and cultural identities?
This site documents the project as it unfolds.