Lauren Johnson

Early in her time at the University of North Georgia (UNG), Dr. Lauren Johnson made a habit of asking questions about the College of Education's efforts to recruit students of color. In a field that is mostly white and female nationwide, Johnson sought to bring issues of representation to the forefront.

Now as assistant dean and associate professor in the College of Education, Johnson and Dr. Sheri Hardee, College of Education dean, have implemented a pair of programs that prepare minority teachers to enter classrooms in their home districts. The first, Realizing Inspiring and Successful Educators (RISE), is a partnership between the Hall County School District and UNG. The school district pays for Hispanic graduates to train as teachers in UNG's College of Education and work as paraprofessionals in the K-12 school system at the same time. The district then offers the students a job upon graduation from UNG.

In a similar manner, the Aspiring Teachers Program (ATP) with the Gainesville City School System provides students of color an opportunity to earn their teacher certification experience at UNG and come back to their home district to teach.

Some of the participants in the programs have family members who did not finish high school and few had teachers in their families. Their passion for education stands out for Johnson.

"I'm in awe of them," said Johnson, who was part of the Fulbright-Hays Seminar Abroad Program and the Governor's Teaching Fellows in 2017.

Johnson, the department head for the Department of Culture, Language and Leadership in the College of Education, earned a 2019 Diversity Champion Award from UNG for her efforts with the RISE and ATP programs.

Her diversity efforts are a common thread for Johnson. She has served as a member of UNG's Diversity Council. Johnson also previously served as co-chair of the Hoag Lecture Series committee and ensured ethnically diverse speakers who addressed timely issues came to UNG.

Johnson said research shows students thrive when they have teachers from diverse backgrounds. She also noted the sizable challenge teachers face when they only speak English and have a classroom full of students who do not speak English as their primary language. She encourages her education students to learn other languages and to take Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages courses to be better prepared for their classrooms.

Empathy is a critical part of the goals Johnson has for her teacher certification students.

"I understand what it's like to not be like, look like, sound like anyone else in the room and what that does to young people," Johnson said. "So I do my best to help our UNG students understand that."

Part of the challenge in recruitment of minority students to pursue a degree in education is they don't have a teacher from their demographic as a role model, Johnson said. Finding these students early is crucial to convincing them to pursue an education career they might not otherwise consider.

"It's a potential career path for them," Johnson said. "And they can make an exponential difference in people's lives by getting into the profession."

While recruitment of minority teachers is a major focus for Johnson, she also seeks to prepare all of her education students to provide the type of teaching their students of color will need.

"They have to know where their students are coming from," Johnson said. "They don't have to look like them or be from the same neighborhood to be able to reach those students."