Welcoming new faculty members to our Seabury community is always a delight, and this year, we are lucky enough to welcome high school English and Journalism teacher Melissa Johnson. Before coming to Seabury, Johnson taught at Pittsburg High School for twelve years and Lawrence High School for six.
In regard to her approach to experiencing her new job, Johnson says she has “been approaching this new place with a spirit of adventure … and [finding] something to enjoy about just about everything.”
She also notes her favorite pastimes outside of school, saying, “My favorite [activity] is writing. I love writing, specifically when I get a chance to go to La Prima Tazza, my favorite coffee shop, and try to get a seat behind the window and people watch and journal and try to write a poem … That’s my favorite tradition. I also love going to the movies; Liberty Hall is a place I love, and I love walking with my husband and our dogs.”
As a poet, Johnson shares her advice for young poets at Seabury, saying, “In my opinion, the most important things that poetry can be are emotionally honest, vulnerable and full of details that are specific … You should write the details you know and that you care about, and if it’s honest enough, someone will latch onto that, and it will make them think of their own lives and their own details … I think that the more deeply I’ve written, the more I understand myself [and] the better person I become.”
She also elaborates on her love of poetry, saying, “My favorite poet is Sharon Olds. She’s so raw and real. I teach my favorite poem in English 11, and it’s ‘I Go back to May 1937’ … It’s just really, really good.”
As well as her favorite poem, she also teaches her favorite book: “My favorite book is ‘The Catcher in the Rye.’ I always joke that I’m maybe too close to that book to even teach it … I read it at such an important time in my life,” she says.
Teaching English has been her aspiration since high school, as she says, “I was a junior in high school, and I decided I wanted to be an English teacher. And part of me was like, ‘This seemed too easy,’ like, ‘maybe I’ll change my mind.’ But I never changed my mind.”
She also has three cherished pets: “I have three dogs … They’re all mutts from the Humane Society … They’re just really, really sweet and snuggly and a little bit bad, but the right kind,” she says.
With all of these delightful passions and excitement, Johnson is a fabulous addition to our Seabury community! Please make her feel welcome!
