The Westword recently sat down with Physical Science teacher Mr. Johnson, who had an impressive career in the sciences prior to becoming a teacher.
The Westword: Why did you choose to become a teacher?
Mr. Johnson: I had always enjoyed working with students as a volunteer counselor in my community at a teen center. And before I was a teacher I was a manager for a chemical plant, Handy and Harman, we made precious metals and hybrid microelectronics. When the company closed and while I was looking for something to do I figured why not teach? I used to teach safety sessions to my employees and I really enjoyed the teaching aspect of the job.
TW: How long have you been teaching?
MJ: Since 1994, so 22 years.
TW: Can you tell us a little bit about your job at Handy and Harman?
MJ: So back in the late 70’s, that was the computer revolution, where hardware was being developed and at the same time the materials inside the hardware were also being developed which is all part of the high tech revolution in the early 80’s. Fortunately, I was working on many of those conductive materials that are inside computers and cell phones and things like that. I had worked by myself with another scientist and we came up with about maybe 30-40 new materials to be used as a conductive material.
TW: After Handy and Harman, how did you know you wanted to become a science teacher?
MJ: Well, after they closed and moved to Rhode Island I decided to stay behind and became a teacher. Like I said I had always enjoyed teaching the employees and volunteering at the teen center. I knew I wanted to be a science teacher because I always liked science, even as a young child I thought I was going to be a scientist when I grew up; I had lots of chemistry sets.
TW: So a former student of yours told me about your work with glow sticks. Could you tell me a little bit more about that?
MJ: While I was in college my first summer job was here in Stamford at American Cyanamid, a company that is now SciTech. In the mid-70’s we came up with this chemical light, which is basically based on the chemistry of the firefly. So I worked on a team that developed the production of this chemical. The first uses were for emergency lighting for aircrafts and their emergency exits, and also for the trunk of your car when you get a flat tire. I worked on this project for a couple of summers while and after I was in college at Sacred Heart University.
TW: You’re also into managing the plays here at Westhill, how did you get into that?
MJ: Along with teaching here at Westhill for 8 years and teaching AP classes and all that I also enjoy helping out with the plays. I worked in theater for a while and have always been into it. I even had the pleasure of taking out Goldie Hawn and Cloris Leachman out to dinner, which was fun. I also worked behind the scenes at the Shakespeare Theater in Stratford.
TW: Can you tell me about one of your most exciting moments in life?
MJ: Well I almost hit a deer while landing a plane.
TW: Wait, you flew planes?
MJ: Yea, I actually flew planes. So the most exciting moment was when I was flying with a friend of mine, and it was dark. We were just flying from Bridgeport to Montauk, and were just going to do a few touch-and-go landings. And as we started to land a deer jumped out onto the runway and we were just about 10 yards away from them. So immediately I had to hit the power and get out of there fast, that was really a scary moment.
TW: It seems you’ve lived a very interesting life. Do you have anything else you would like to add?
MJ: It’s important to keep busy. I like to think I’ve lived an interesting life, because I keep busy.
