In the years between 1981 and 1990, the National Blue Ribbon Schools program, the highest honor a school can receive in the US, honored South Salem High School. At the time, the school was led by Dan Johnson, a dedicated leader with a goal to unite South students and close the achievement gap for good. This February, I sat down with Johnson to reflect on his time as a Saxon.
Johnson started out as a teacher of math and wood-shop. As an English major and a history minor, he found it a challenging task, but a love of teaching got him through it.
“I always loved kids. I loved to teach. I always saw the life of an educator as an honor. [Teaching math and shop] was a learning experience for me because I had to get beyond the content, open the kids minds. I learned to connect with the kids, to develop a positive relationship and trust. That translated well to South,” Johnson said.
In 1982, when Johnson took over the role of principal of South, it was thriving already, recognized statewide for its academic, artistic, and athletic success.
“The problem,” Johnson said, “Was translating that success to all kids. While South had a great record, there were kids that still found it hard to find their place.”
To accomplish this, Johnson encouraged students to enroll in more challenging classes and ensured teachers were teaching to their expertise. He also purchased computers to close technological gaps between students and improved career and technical education programs.
Life as a principal was demanding, especially when, like Johnson, one is working towards a doctorate degree simultaneously.
“I’d be there from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m, seventy hours a week. Every night there’s music, there’s sports, there’s stuff going on. Sometimes I’d have to leave at 5 p.m. for a 7 p.m. class at Portland State, get back at 10pm, and work until midnight. You may not do everything on your to-do list. There’s district meetings, teacher evaluations, meeting with staff and students, dealing with a crisis. The days were very fluid,” Johnson said.
Looking at the education system since he has left the field, Johnson hopes schools throughout the U.S will become safer places in future.
“The staff in South and other schools are working their tail off [to make schools safer.] But there’s always that lingering concern, that ‘will my child come home today’. There’s always been violence, but I never had to deal with shooter drills when I taught,” Johnson said. He also notices how cell phones have changed students through the years.
“It’s both a blessing and a curse […] you’re on duty 24/7. People have your phone number, email. If they have a complaint, they can reach you anywhere. Cyberbullying was not an issue. When I was at South, there was an underground newspaper. A group of students defamed a teacher. But that was really easy to [stop]. Now it’s easy to do that about teachers and kids on a daily basis,” Johnson said.
He also hopes that future South students try out new experiences. “Try something. Be curious, explore ideas. Be involved in something like sports, music, community service, The Clypian. The more kids do things and can have those kind of experiences, I think the more vibrant their high school experience is. They also grow emotionally from it. As we put more and more pressure on kids academically, let’s not lose those other things.”
The backbone of any great school is a great faculty led by a great principal, and Johnson’s legacy has certainly lived on at South. In fact, current South principal Lara Tiffin attended high school under his watch. Who knows? Perhaps the next great South principal is among us today.
