Rigby High School hails May’s Teacher of the Month

As soon as you walk into Laron Johnson’s classroom, he’ll show you his bomb, which does not come as a shock to anyone who knows how the rest of his lecture is about to go.

“My room is kind of like a wandering little museum, I would say,” Johnson demonstrated, pointing to an array of historical artifacts sitting near the front of his classroom.

Johnson has been teaching in the Jefferson School District for the past 22 years, emphasizing world history, economics, and the class our news crew happened to stumble into – his advanced Holocaust class.

Students Alex Glinski and Jaden Jones nominated him for the award, saying his passion for the deep dive into the humanitarian aspects of History, sparked a similar, newly-discovered passion for History within them as well.

“He’s the best, he’s just the best teacher,” Glinski gloated. “He treats us like friends and not just students. We’re his friends, his family, and not just numbers.”

When asked why they chose to go out of their way to nominate Johnson, let alone any of their teachers, Jones said, “He’s just the first person who comes to mind.”

“Darnit, if I’m going to be in this building, I’m going to give 110-percent like every other teacher,” Johnson said. “And the kids are my center-focus. I owe it to them, and if I don’t give that to them, then I’m cheating those students.”

After 22 years and 7,500 students later, there has never been a day he has not been thrilled to show up for class.

“It’s never gotten tiring. There isn’t a day I dread my job when I walk through these doors and I’m not kidding there, there’s not one, single day that I’ve ever dreaded my job.”

Johnson said his world travels helps keep his passion for the subject refreshed, allowing him to share his experiences with his students.

In return, they’ve gifted him with some unique, yet meaningful trinkets for his “museum” as well.

“We were finishing our unit on the French Revolution and I randomly said I needed a guillotine for my desk. Then five days later, there was an Amazon box sitting on my desk with a guillotine in it.”

Johnson said he now has students who come back years later to tell him his class changed their world views, including one student leading the charge against human trafficking in Nepal.

And as he describes each of these stories, his intonation starts rising in excitement, but even more, pride.

“I’ve had those epic moments, but if a person just pats me on the arm and says ‘thank you’, that’s as grand from a 15-year old as a 35-year old who might be established, becuase the seed is planted.”

If you walk into his world history museum, let him take the reigns and within seconds he’ll most likely burst out with, “Come here, I’ll show you!” That’s when you’ll most likely see one unique piece of history, leaving you wanting to take a tour, and hopefully, under the guise of a lecture.

Each KIDK “Teacher of the Month” segment is sponsored by Valley Office Systems, Ricoh, Domino’s Pizza, and Connections Credit Union.

To nominate a deserving teacher, submit their names here.