Wellness Teacher: Mr. Mike Johnston

Students may recognize a new face in the gymnasium this year: Mr. Mike Johnston is the newest addition to BSM’s physical education department. He will teach wellness and freshmen gym class.

Johnston is from New Hope, Minnesota and attended Robbinsdale Cooper for high school. He then studied at the University of Minnesota where he received his bachelors in kinesiology and masters in applied kinesiology. However, he wasn’t always sure on his career path. “I was either going to do physical therapy or education,” Johnston said.

He worked in physical therapy for a while as a trainer and a coach. “I worked with a lot of different populations and realized I really enjoyed working with kids. That’s kind of what brought me here and it’s been a lot more fun,” Johnston said.

After realizing his passion for teaching, Johnston received his teaching degree from the University of St. Thomas and began student-teaching, where he first was introduced to the  BSM community. “I [taught at] three sites and [BSM] was one of them and I just really clicked with the teachers and students here,” Johnston said.

This job brings many new opportunities to Johnston. Since this is his first teaching job, Johnston is excited about getting summers off and reaching a broader audience. “Here I interact with a lot more people and I like that. Every job I’ve had has been working with someone like I could be training or in a clinic with them. This is seeing 30 kids every hour. I go home and everyday I’m shocked at how many students I see,” Johnston said.

Johnston is very excited to be a part of the BSM community and is already feeling right at home. “I’ve been here a month and it feels like I’ve been here forever, ‘cause it’s just been really easy and the kids are great,” Johnston said.

However, Johnston also hopes to broaden students’ views on physical education and wellness classes as being more than simply requirements and instead, to see their lifelong applications. “Everyone’s gonna have health. Everyone’s gonna need to be healthy to stay alive. I think the earlier the kids learn that and they understand their bodies, the better,” Johnston said.