After 49 years, beloved St. Agnes teacher retires

For nearly half a century, David Johnson has taught second grade at St. Agnes School in St. Paul. This fall, he is not. At 83, the Roseville grandfather of 22 decided to retire. He leaves a powerful legacy in the classroom and the theater, where he directed 32 musicals.

Q How did you know it was time to stop?

A I thought, “I want to stop while I’m still on top.” I didn’t want to start a year and because of age problems and so on not be able to finish it. I knew God would let me know when it was time.

Q Was your last year emotional?

A Knowing it was my last year, I had a little extra power behind me. Everything we did was done with extra gusto. I was not emotional though. I felt calm and I felt satisfied that this was what God wanted me to do.

Now, I’m not quite done yet. I’m planning on subbing in the preschool and for K-3, along with music and art. I’m also a lector and an extraordinary minister of holy Communion at St. Agnes, so I have volunteered to continue that. One of the greatest thrills of my life is to touch the body and blood of Jesus and give it to a person. It’s something you can’t explain.

Q What was the first day of school like for you this year?

A I visited my teaching partner, who moved into my room. It was a half-day, so I timed it. I slipped in during dismissal, and I waited in her room till she came back in. I didn’t want to make a fuss. It was fun to visit with her and wish her well. She has done amazing things with my room. It didn’t feel like my room, and I didn’t feel, “Oh, dear, I wish I was here.” I was really happy with the changes she made. She had it repainted, everything was moved differently, she brought in some of the things from her room. I was very glad. I didn’t want her to teach in my shadow. This is all hers now.

Q Besides subbing, what will you do in retirement?

A I love to garden. When you direct a musical, you’re busy in February, March and April, and then there’s the last month of school when you better get everything done, so by the time I’d get out to my so-called garden, the weeds could be up to my knees. So, I’m looking forward to getting out there in March and pouncing on them.

Q What do you enjoy about gardening?

A I like the surprises. You put this plant in, and you don’t expect much, and it blooms into this beautiful bush. And then you buy other things and they don’t do anything at all. It’s kind of like the plants talk and say, “Nuh-uh. I’m not going to bloom here.”

Q How do you participate in the work of God?

A The lower school director makes out the class lists, but I’ve always felt that God has a hand in it. It’s not just a shuffle of the cards. I have to recognize, “Now why is this child in my room and what can I do for them?” A few years ago, I had a boy who was brand new to the school and gave me a real run for my money. But I did notice during the time when everyone could choose their own books to read, he always went to my religious books. By the end of the year, he said to me, “I would like to be baptized and become Catholic.” I didn’t want to take any credit, but I did have a few things in my room that were inspirational, and maybe that’s what turned the tide for him.

Q What did you learn from raising 12 kids?

A I learned that God was in charge. Money was always an issue. As teachers at a Catholic school, there were many days when we’d go to the grocery store, and before we’d go, we’d look at the checkbook to see how much we could spend. There always seemed to be doors open. We took advantage of everything we could. There’s a WIC program that helps you with food. We were not too proud to accept help. It’s interesting. God just always provided.

Q And you learned to trust him, adopting six of your children.

A There are so many hoops you have to jump through with adoption and inspections. We had one inspector that even went through our closets. My wife, Nancy, and I just felt, “OK, we have the energy, we have the love of children. If God wants us to do this, He’ll make it work out.” And it did.

Q What parenting advice would you give?

A My advice would be to be firm but temperate with love and patience. Today, parents are afraid of the word “no.” It’s so important that you have to say “no” when it’s necessary. If you coddle them and say yes to their every want, when they get out in the world, the world isn’t going to treat them that way. They have to accept disappointments — “no, we can’t afford this; no, you can’t do this” — but then you can go too far with the word no. You have to temper it with love and patience.

Q Your maternal grandparents were charter members of St. Agnes. Your mom attended the school and so did you and all your kids and now 12 grandkids are enrolled. What makes it a special place?

A It is such a calm and safe place. As you walk through the school, that’s the first thing you notice. Christ lives in every classroom. It’s the focus of all of us teachers, to bring him into whatever we’re teaching. As you walk down the halls, they are filled with work from children expressing their experience with Christ, their journey in faith. I’m sure I could have made many more dollars in a public school, but I couldn’t match the feeling and security I felt at St. Agnes.

Q Do you have a favorite picture book you share with your students?

A On the very first day of school, I always read them “The Rainbow Fish” by Marcus Pfister. It’s a fish with shiny rainbow scales that he refuses to share, so nobody will have anything to do with him. When he starts to give away his scales, he realizes what a warm feeling that is, and before you know it, he gives them all away except one. I read this as a kind of theme for the year: You have to be willing to give of yourself.

Q What keeps you young at heart?

A The big thing about staying young is: Just don’t stop. You have to keep active. If you sit down and say, “I’m old and tired,” before you know it, you will be old and tired. About four years ago, I had a knee replacement. I had to go through the usual therapy, and that particular year, the musical demanded a lot of tap dancing. The knee replacement was the first week of December, and by the first week of February, I was tap dancing. I had to! I’ve always felt very blessed that I have been able to enjoy 83 years. Each day is a gift from God.