MEET BRANDI JOHNSTON

My name is Brandi Johnston, and this is my ninth year teaching high school math, and my twelfth year working with teens.  

 

I grew up traveling the world, as both my parents were active-duty military.  I spent the majority of my life in the small town of Del Rio, TX right on the border of Mexico.  After graduation, I attended Texas A&M University-Kingsville.  I graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics with a Secondary Teaching Certification.  I moved here to Sanford, NC in 2012 and began teaching right here at Lee County High School.  In 2015, I left the classroom to work for a non-profit that worked directly with the teenage population of Lee County.  I returned to the classroom in August 2018.  I am very excited to be back in the classroom and teaching our students of tomorrow.

 

I have always had a passion for learning.  Because of this passion for knowledge, I became a teacher.  There is no life more rewarding than that of a teacher.  We get to see students overcome challenges and obstacles every day.  We get to witness first-hand those "lightbulb" moments.  We get to watch young adults develop a passion for their own lives, and we get to coach them along the way.  We get to work with the next business owner, the next contractor, the next engineer, doctor, politician, and hometown hero.  We get to shape the future.  All be it very scary and sometimes overwhelming, I find it worth every minute.

 

I know most people do not like math, and that is entirely understandable.  I do not ask my students to "like" math (although it is the best subject out there), but I ask them to understand why we study it.  Not only is it a universal language and shapes the way our world looks, but it also develops a part of our brain that controls problem-solving and critical thinking.  Studying maths helps us to create solutions to everyday problems.  A surgeon may never have to use Calculus 4 again, but he/she may need to spend hours staring at a problem, knowing that there is a solution out there; he/she just has to find it...and that part of the brain develops because math makes us think, hard. 

 

I am excited to partner with you this year as we dive into mathematics!