Johanna Batchelder, Mathematics Teacher at Pinkerton Academy
Each morning, Johanna Batchelder leaves her house at 5:30 a.m. and arrives at Pinkerton Academy at 6:15 a.m. — a 45-minute commute that changes depending on traffic.
Yet, despite Johanna’s best efforts to beat the morning traffic rush and get an early start on the upcoming school day, the staff parking lot at Pinkerton is almost always full.
While parking is a bit of a challenge each morning at Pinkerton, Johanna isn’t surprised, given the strong culture at Pinkerton and how students, teachers, and staff want to be at the high school.
A full-time teacher and a part-time veterinary technician on the weekends, Johanna originally went to school to be a veterinary technician before switching over to education. While she balances both careers now and gets the best of both worlds, teaching seemed like a natural, rewarding, and stable career path.
For her first 13 years as a teacher, Johanna taught mathematics at the same school, but an uptick in challenging student behaviors and a lack of support at the administrative level pushed her out of her comfort zone and to explore other possibilities. That led to a conversation with the Pinkerton team during an open house event. While Johanna received a job offer from both Pinkerton and a neighboring school district, Pinkerton stood out because of their competitive compensation and rigorous academics.
A supportive environment that empowers educators
Starting at a new school is challenging — no matter someone’s prior experiences and expertise. Yet, from the moment Johanna stepped foot on Pinkerton’s campus, the team supported her, setting her up with a mentor to ensure the transition went as smoothly as possible.
“The mentorship program is nice,” said Johanna. “I laugh because my mentor when I started at Pinkerton turned 30 last year — and that’s when I started teaching. But he was great. I came to him often, and he was okay with that. He would check in on me a lot, but at the same time, I was okay going up to him and asking, ‘What is this? I don’t get this.’ There are so many little pieces that you don’t realize until you’re in a role, so you don’t know how to ask about them ahead of time.”
A great mentor makes a huge difference. Teachers often feel overwhelmed and pressured to be the best version of themselves at all times, but the mentors at Pinkerton are hand-picked to help relieve some of that stress and make the transition to a new role for each teacher or staff member just a little bit easier.
In addition, Pinkerton encourages each one of their teachers to participate in professional development and seek out activities and topics that interest them. That choice empowers teachers and helps them grow in the areas they want to learn more about — such as social-emotional learning, integrating STEAM in instruction, and so much more — helping teachers strengthen their day-to-day instruction and grow in their profession.
A space where students want to learn and grow
Through relationships with local school districts, Pinkerton serves as the high school of record for the neighboring Auburn, Candia, Chester, Derry, Hampstead, and Hooksett communities.
Since Johanna walked through Pinkerton’s doors, she’s noticed students who want to learn, want to grow, and want to ask questions.
That desire to learn and grow from students is fulfilling — a feeling that Johanna hasn’t always felt in her teaching career. Feeling fulfillment as a teacher cannot be understated and is crucial to teachers feeling satisfied in their professions. According to a recent survey, more than 50 percent of teachers say they wouldn’t advise their younger selves to pursue a career in teaching — a concerning data point that continues to pop up in surveys nationwide. The usual differentiator? A feeling of fulfillment.
And that’s how Johanna and her colleagues feel when up in front of their classrooms at Pinkerton. Johanna’s students are engaged, often asking questions and wanting to know the “why” behind things.
“Why does that work? Why does that do that?” said Johanna when thinking about some of her students. “The students at Pinkerton are learning to problem solve, build things, put things back together, and how to persevere through tasks. The students care about what they’re doing.”
While Johanna is just finishing up her second year teaching at Pinkerton, she’s built strong relationships with her students. Last school year, Johanna taught juniors and now this school year, those students are set to graduate soon. Yet, despite not being in her classes anymore, former students love to visit Johanna.
“Seeing each one of them come back, asking me for help during their flex period as a senior — even though they’re not even in my class anymore — is kind of nice because I feel like they know that I care,” said Johanna.
But the students aren’t the only ones who care — Johanna and the Pinkerton staff do just as much, if not even more.
Connecting with colleagues
Johanna shares a building with teachers who work with freshmen, even though she teaches juniors and seniors. Recognizing that, she’s more than comfortable going to her colleagues, and asking them about specific students, challenges, successes, and what’s worked well in the past. Those same colleagues are open with each other, sharing both helpful instructional strategies and their weekend plans.
There’s a clear sense of camaraderie at Pinkerton, and a school-wide effort to help each other out and support others when needed.
“At Pinkerton, almost everyone is something else besides a teacher,” said Johanna. “One of the teachers is the wrestling head coach. Another teacher is the lacrosse head coach. Pinkerton’s baseball team is run by one of our administrators. I have friends involved in the faculty play with me. Everyone truly enjoys being part of Pinkerton.”
And often, that means a busy parking lot in the mornings.
