Mary Ann Johnson

When there was a need, I was often able to take the assignment, so I have had experience teaching mostly high school social studies, literature and creative writing, remedial math, and even architecture! I taught credit retrieval night high school academy government and current issues classes and gifted social studies students in ninth grade world history. While teaching full time I also taught staff development classes about writing poetry, getting ready for King Tut, social skills, classroom management, best practices, humor for intrinsic motivation and stress reduction, and teaching children of poverty.

Many of my ideas provide for students to work with materials beyond the text, and to generate outcomes that students can be proud of. Lessons give choices to honor student decision-making, and they often involve several layers of complexity. They may start in ways that help avoid procrastination and end with a final outcome that can be shared with peers or a wider audience.

Most of my work has resulted in people returning for more shared experiences or return engagements for live presentations. I am rewarded by having colleagues come back, both for live experiences, and for my materials, which capture the imagination and foster creative thinking for teachers and students.

I have a BA degree from Central Michigan University, and a M.Ed Adm from the University of Washington. I have taken ongoing post-graduate work in many exciting areas of teaching research and practice, as well as adult development and creativity and motivation theory.

My Northwest Consulting Center in Seattle, Washington is home to many teachers for classes and private briefings. It's a lively center for learning, sharing, and supporting fellow professionals. My interest in motivation theory led me to study and give presentations on the importance of healthy humor for health and productivity. I gave a workshop in England on attracting healthy humor to your life, and created materials on creativity and humor for social studies and creative writing.