As a middle school teacher, Karl Johnson is always looking for teachable moments.
The Battle Ground School District teacher instructs seventh and eighth grade students at Maple Grove Middle School. A number of the students who are sent to his classroom are there because their education is somehow at risk.
Johnson often gives his own time and money before and after school to ensure his students have every possible chance to do well in high school and to graduate. Some of his students, he said, carry some sad baggage, and many of them are dealing with tragic events and extreme living conditions.
"I tell my students that they cannot look to the past and use it as an excuse," he said. "They have to make changes and take risks."
Part of his teaching strategy involves encouraging students to step beyond their comfort zones to try and make meaningful changes. Stepping out of a comfort zone can be difficult for anyone. So Johnson chose to lead by example and took the first step himself.
"My whole life, I wanted to be in a play," said Johnson. "I was an athlete. I even auditioned in high school and they wouldn’t let me join because I had state championships (tournaments). I guess I had already been cast (in life) as an athlete. But still, it was always there. I always wanted to be in a play."
When Johnson’s daughter said she would audition for a production with Christian Community Theatre (CCT), he decided that would be an ideal starting place to make that dream come true.
Johnson told his students about the upcoming auditions for the CCT production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and his dream of being in a play, even though he has never stepped on a stage.
"They encouraged me," he said, adding that his students helped him craft an email to schedule his audition.
After auditioning, however, Johnson missed a step in the callback process and thought he would not be cast in the show. His students watched closely to see how he would handle failure.
Johnson said he stayed upbeat in the face of disappointment, only to learn later that day that he had made callbacks and returned to the theater to fumble through a dancing audition.
When the cast list was posted, Johnson learned he would play Potiphar in the show.
"My hope is that the kids can come and see it," he said. "I already told them I would pay for their tickets."
In the future, said Johnson, he would like to get his students more involved with the theatre or some type of theatrical performance.
See Johnson and about 50 other performers in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Aug. 5-14 at The Washburn Performing Arts Center at Washougal High School, 1201 39th St. Washougal.
The production is directed by J Scott Lapp. Advance purchase ticket prices start at $10, and can be found at www.cytvanport.org.
