A change of environment can be intimidating for some, but Brandon Johnson, a new statistics teacher and assistant basketball coach at Etowah High School, has taken strides at school. Transitioning from a private school to a public school is typically a big cultural difference, but for Johnson, this is exactly why he switched. 

“Seeing people from diverse backgrounds and different home lives, and hearing their stories has been my favorite thing coming here to Etowah,” Johnson said. 

Everything Johnson does falls underneath his “why?” From teaching to coaching, his goal is to build relationships. This makes teaching feel more like a hobby to him, something that he can enjoy doing and improving at. He is constantly learning and developing his teaching skills in order to make his classroom the best it can be. 

“Great teachers (…) were not necessarily the smartest or had the brightest ideas, but they sparked a level of curiosity and asked great questions,” Johnson said. 

Johnson embraces this idea of great teachers in the classroom. He tries to teach in a way that connects with the students to develop a love for learning that they would not otherwise have in a standard math class. He believes that this type of team atmosphere is better overall for students and leads to a more enjoyable experience. 

“I was forced into [statistics], and I went kicking and screaming, and I was very upset, but after that first year I went back to that administrator, still do, and just said thank you,” Johnson said. 

Johnson understands that statistics is not the most exciting class. After all, he was hesitant to even teach the class, but his efforts at creating an engaging environment that, not only students enjoy, but he himself enjoys, have blossomed into a love for the subject.