Q & A With Johanna Aeschliman, Our New Lower School Director

Q: What drew you to Redwood Day?
I was drawn to Redwood Day because of your mission statement. When I saw the posting on the NAIS website, I went right to the Redwood Day website, read the mission statement and immediately knew this could be my next home. Embracing diversity and preparing students to be ready for anything in our ever-changing and unpredictable world (and community) are real skills that students need to become effective leaders. I am delighted to start the next chapter of my career at Redwood Day.

Q: What excites you about becoming our next Lower School Director?
Working with Lower School students and faculty has been my passion as an educator. I started my career teaching third graders in Washington, DC and after finishing graduate school at Howard University, I returned home to Boston, where I was co-teaching first graders. The growth of skills in lower elementary students is especially exciting to me. The foundational skills for reading are taught in kindergarten and first grade. After this, students typically begin stringing sounds together, recognizing picture cues and sight words -- and soon they are reading! Over the course of their time in first and second grade, students transition from learning to read to reading to learn; an exciting milestone! The span of developmental growth through the early childhood and early elementary years is rewarding and gratifying. I look forward to getting to know and supporting students and teachers at Redwood Day!

Q: What are you most looking forward to about moving to Oakland?
I am excited to live in a vibrant and diverse city with delicious food options (and no snow!). I have lived on the East Coast my entire life. I was born in Boston, went to college in Washington, DC, and have lived in Brooklyn for the past five years. I have strong memories of standing waist deep in snow, shoveling for hours on end and crying in frustration, as the snowplow would go by and rebury what I had just shoveled! I will not be bringing my shovel with me in June! I am also looking forward to exploring a new state and new restaurants. Right now, my favorite restaurant in Oakland is called Little Shin Shin. I am a little sad to move to a city with no Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) team, but I know I’ll get my sports fill when the Oakland A’s play the Boston Red Sox a couple times a year and by driving to Los Angeles to see the Sparks.

Q: What was one of the most defining moments in your own education and how has this shaped you as an educator?
That is a hard question because I have the worst memory of anyone in my family. I could try to call my older sister, Melanie, and ask her for one of my memories because she remembers everything from our childhood. Oh, wait; one thing I do remember is certain teachers that impacted me as student. First, was my third grade teacher, Ms. Hannigan. I adored her. She was smart, kind, patient, and funny. She is the teacher that really sparked my interest in writing. We used to write in black and white, marble-covered composition books each morning and then hand them in to her. By the end of the day, she would write back. I remember the excitement of waiting to get my journal back from her to see what she had to say about my thoughts, opinions, and stories. Her feedback of my writing motivated me to want to write more and more and to do well in school. Third grade was the first time I began taking school seriously. My next pivotal teacher was my 9th grade English teacher, Donald. He was amazing! He was so patient with us and treated us like the mature young adults we were trying to become. We had wonderful conversations and debates about the literature we read including: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Lord of the Flies, and various poems by Langston Hughes and Gwendolyn Brooks. This sparked my love of literature. As an educator, I try to bring kindness, patience, and humor to everything that I do. I also try to inspire as I was inspired by my teachers and to make a lasting connection.

Q: What do you like to do outside of school? What are some of your favorite hobbies?
Outside of school, my life revolves around my 12-year-old daughter, Camryn. She plays soccer and basketball year-round, so I am often cheering on the sidelines of her games. I also enjoy reading. Right now, I am reading Angie Thomas’, The Hate U Give. In the summer months, I attend WNBA games (Go, New York Liberty!) and relax in Cape Cod, MA at the beach or the pool. This summer, I am looking forward to visiting wine country and learning more about what Northern California has to offer!
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