Pat Johnson Biography
Patricia B. Johnson
1988 Crossfield Aerospace Teacher of the Year
Helena, Montana
Pat Johnson is completing her forty-third year in Montana education. During those years there were many recognitions and awards, including being chosen as 1988 Crossfield Aerospace Teacher of the Year and as a Montana candidate for the NASA Teacher in Space Program.
Pat taught secondary mathematics and science for 27 years, mostly in Helena, Montana. In the mid-1960's she taught six-week sessions for eighth graders, one about Engines --- from steam to jet --- and the other about Aviation. She had a five-cylinder Kinner radial engine in her classroom at the time.
A presentation by the county sheriff who collected working steam engines was the highlight of the Engines class. The Aviation class culminated in a trip to the airport to tour and fly. Both classes emphasized the application of scientific principles taught in Pat's physical science classes.
Pat learned to fly in 1961 and used her planes, a 1948 Aeronca Champion and a 1966 Cessna 172, for fun and learning. She toured the Grand Canyon in the Champ and the shores of the Artic Ocean in Canada's Northwest Territories in the Cessna.
Pat coordinated multiple presenters for a two-week Aerospace Education Workshop for Teachers and took participants on a one-hour familiarization flight in her Cessna 172. The emphasis of the workshop was how to teach the existing curriculum by building on the students' natural interest in aerospace.
Along with her other interests, Pat enjoys history and government. In addition to degrees in mathematics with physics emphasis and geology, she holds a master's degree in public administration. Due to her keen interest in local government she is a past officer of the Helena Planning Board, the Helena Citizen's Council, and Leadership Helena. Pat is currently serving on the Helena Transportation Coordinating Committee.
As Pat transitioned from teaching into work at the Montana Office of Public Instruction, she found herself enjoying working with several former students. Pat currently assists Montana school districts with federal grants.
As her career moved from working with students to working with school administrators, Pat's love of high school students didn't diminish and apparently shows. Recently, she was standing in a busy high school hall enjoying watching the classes change when a boy came up and asked her, "Are you a teacher?" No higher compliment can be offered a life-time educator.