“Put quite simply, the goal of education is to offer the student a vision for how to be in the world. Because there is no one right way to be in the world, and each individual has a unique, unrepeatable, and finite range of possibilities for being in the world, this will involve understanding the world, understanding human persons, and understanding the self. And because an integrated vision for how to be in the world requires adequation of these various components (the world, human persons, and the self) to one another, it will require wisdom.”

Junius Johnson, from “Beautiful Arts: Imagination and the Formation of the Soul”

Scholar and writer Junius Johnson has a reputation for being a creative and visionary thinker and a dynamic speaker. The author of 4 scholarly books and numerous articles, he brings more than 20 years of teaching experience to reflecting on the task of teaching.

A school is a place of wonder and delight. It is ground zero for a revolution of the imagination that has the power to transform lives and communities, opening new ways of thinking, seeing,  and being. However, for the teacher as well as the students, this wonder and delight can be sidelined to the tyrannical everydayness of the business of school. Lesson plans, grading, and metrics for learning outcomes can strip the teacher of her joy as quickly as long, uninteresting reading and repetitive assignments strip the students of theirs. Tedium is the great enemy that attacks our vision for what education can and must be.

And so, among the types of faculty enrichment a school must pursue are not only those that will train faculty in new skills and methods, but also those that can clarify and restore their vision for their profession. It is with our hearts as well as our heads that we teach, and faculty need to be captivated and re-enchanted from time to time to keep their passion fresh.

Dr. Johnson offers targeted faculty enrichment aimed at just this task of inspiring by recasting the vision that first captured their souls. From his experience teaching in independent schools, public schools, and elite universities, he can bring to your faculty an experience crafted to emphasize the unique core commitments of your school.

He offers a range of options, including:

  • 1 hour talk with Q&A
  • 2-3 hour discussion based seminars
  • 1 or 2 day “retreats” involving a variety of sessions and different modes of engagement

Events can be offered in person or remotely via video conferencing. [Please note that for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic he will, due to personal susceptibility, be limiting himself mostly to remote engagement options.] Dr. Johnson loves engaging faculty, and welcomes opportunities to speak with them apart from the formal presentations.

For inquiries, please email.

At the end of a long day or stressful week, another professional development meeting is not always welcomed by faculty. Junius Johnson offers soul-refreshing words for faculty audiences, who need to be reminded that the love of their subject is key to capturing students’ hearts. His passion for the process of teaching draws you and inspires you to fully engage students, serving them as a muse for learning. Teaching as you ought, out of love, makes for the purposeful enculturation of students.

Alison Moffatt, Head of School, Live Oak Classical School, Waco, TX