DoDEA announces Logan Johnson as 2025 Dr. Linda L. Curtis Educator of Promise

Humphreys High School’s Logan Johnson has been selected as the 2025 Dr. Linda L. Curtis Educator of Promise. This award recognizes teachers who, in their first three years in the profession, have demonstrated exceptional commitment to helping students succeed while consistently going above and beyond in the pursuit of continuous improvement.

“Mr. Johnson exemplifies the spirit of innovation and dedication we seek in our rising educators,” said DoDEA Director Dr. Beth Schiavino-Narvaez. “In his classroom, he has transformed the way students experience mathematics, infusing lessons with creativity and real-world applications that make learning both engaging and fun.”

Johnson is a second-year educator completing his first year at Humphreys High School, where he teaches Algebra 1, French 1, and French 2. 

“As a student, I had a middle school teacher who began my love of math,” Johnson said. “Then later, once I took AP Calculus, I really fell in love with the subject and what it could do. I also enjoyed learning French and improving my communication skills. All of this led to a love of learning that I wanted to continue and share with students as a teacher of both subjects.”

In his first year at Humphreys, he has taken on leadership roles in the school, serving as the ACT Coordinator, as a member of the scheduling committee, and presenting professional development to fellow educators. Next school year, he will also serve as sponsor of the school’s Math Honor Society.

A former military-connected student himself, Johnson said he prioritizes making connections with students.

“I remember moving often and how challenging it was to start over,” he said. “As a teacher, I want to be empathetic towards the students and the unique struggles they face. I understand what they might be going through, especially when things change quickly and are out of their control. I want to be there to support the students if they ever need help with anything, whether that be academic content, emotional support, or just figuring out their next steps.”

Johnson said his educational priority is to ensure students are consistently connected with the content – and each other – which he fosters through various thinking tasks, hands-on activities and experiments. These lessons have supported students in understanding content while experiencing learning in a memorable way. 

“My colleague and I used a fun activity where students modeled a disease simulation,” Johnson said, recalling an experiment students completed while learning about exponential growth and decay. “Each student had a cup of water, except for one student, who had a clear reaction liquid. Students then interacted with each other using pipettes, ‘infecting’ other students. Students then worked backwards to see who ‘Patient Zero’ was. As we did the data analysis, we related it to the new content. Students found this to be a much more meaningful approach to learning.”

Johnson holds three degrees, earned concurrently from Northern Arizona University, including a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education (Mathematics), a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, and a Bachelor of Arts in Modern Languages with an emphasis in French. He is currently on track to complete a master’s degree in Mathematics Education by August 2025.

The Dr. Linda L. Curtis Educator of Promise program is named in honor of Dr. Linda Curtis, who dedicated 35 years of service to DoDEA, starting as a teacher and ending her career as Principal Deputy Director and Associate Director of Academics. In every regard, she was a tireless advocate for elevating student achievement.

The Dr. Linda L. Curtis Educator of Promise program begins with nominations at the school-level with recommendations from a teacher’s peers or administrators. Panels in the three DoDEA regions (Europe, Pacific and Americas) review nominations and select a candidate from each of the eight districts. DoDEA Headquarters (Teaching & Learning Division) then reviews the district candidates and makes a recommendation to the DoDEA Director for approval. 

Additional information about the Dr. Linda L. Curtis Educator of Promise Program, including points of contact, may be found on the DoDEA web site: www.dodea.edu/education/teachers-administrators/educator-promise. 

DoDEA plans, directs, coordinates, and manages Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade education programs for school-aged children of Department of Defense personnel who would otherwise not have access to a high-quality public education. DoDEA schools are in Europe, the Pacific, Western Asia, the Middle East, Cuba, the United States, Guam, and Puerto Rico. DoDEA also provides support and resources to Local Educational Activities throughout the U.S. that serve children of military families.