Ms. Miyuki Johnson2022 GATJ Japanese Teacher of the Year (TOTY) is awarded to honor one K-12 and one college level Japanese teacher!
This award is supported by Georgia Dept. of Education and Japan-America Society of Georgia, and this year’s committee members are Seiko Onuki (GATJ President), Aya McDaniel (GATJ Vice President), Mr. Patrick Wallace (GA DOE), and Yoshi Domoto (JASG). Congratulations to these to brilliant teachers on receiving the award!
K-12 TOTY: Ms. Miyuki Johnson (Elkins Pointe Middle school )
College TOTY: Ms. Akiko Davis (Kennesaw University)
Here are their bio and success stories!
Ms. Miyuki Johnson
Ms. Johnson started teaching Japanese in 1996 at the University of West Georgia, where she earned her master’s degree in education. Since 2003, she has worked at Elkins Pointe Middle school as a Japanese teacher for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students in Fulton County. Prior to this, Ms. Johnson taught at various schools including Georgia Institute of Technology, Agnes Scott College, and North Cobb High School.
Over the years, Ms. Johnson has engaged her students in various opportunities to experience Japanese language and culture. For example, she encouraged her students to participate in the exchange programs when the Japanese government selected her school for the honor. Furthermore, Ms. Johnson hosts her own bi-annual trips to Japan where students can experience the country and culture firsthand. Ms. Johnson has also created a network of Japanese pen-pals for her students to write and video throughout the year. Every year, she motivates her students to continue in the Japanese language by inducting 10 to 20 new members into the Japanese National Honor Society (Pre-College Junior-Chapter).
Ms. Johnson has served in Fulton County for two decades. During this time, she has led the World Language department at Elkins Pointe Middle School as department chair for several years and as a teacher mentor. She launched the first annual International Night for her school. In 2014, Elkins Point recognized Ms. Johnson as Teacher of the Year and later Fulton County awarded her Northwest Learning Community Teacher of the Year as well. Furthermore, Ms. Johnson has developed and revised Fulton County district Japanese curriculum and assessments. She also facilitated the statewide PLC for Japanese teachers for the 2021-22 school year.
Throughout her time as an educator, Ms. Johnson has worked in various roles: as a J-LEAP (Japanese Language Education Assistant Program) supervisor, as president and board member of GATJ (Georgia Association of Teachers of Japanese), as partner to the Foreign Language Education Department (FLED) at Kennesaw State University, and as membership director for the NCJLT (National Council of Japanese Language Teachers). Additionally, Ms. Johnson has been working on the NJE (National Japanese Exam) team since 2011.
This award is supported by Georgia Dept. of Education and Japan-America Society of Georgia, and this year’s committee members are Seiko Onuki (GATJ President), Aya McDaniel (GATJ Vice President), Mr. Patrick Wallace (GA DOE), and Yoshi Domoto (JASG). Congratulations to these to brilliant teachers on receiving the award!
K-12 TOTY: Ms. Miyuki Johnson (Elkins Pointe Middle school )
College TOTY: Ms. Akiko Davis (Kennesaw University)
Here are their bio and success stories!
Ms. Miyuki Johnson
Ms. Johnson started teaching Japanese in 1996 at the University of West Georgia, where she earned her master’s degree in education. Since 2003, she has worked at Elkins Pointe Middle school as a Japanese teacher for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students in Fulton County. Prior to this, Ms. Johnson taught at various schools including Georgia Institute of Technology, Agnes Scott College, and North Cobb High School.
Over the years, Ms. Johnson has engaged her students in various opportunities to experience Japanese language and culture. For example, she encouraged her students to participate in the exchange programs when the Japanese government selected her school for the honor. Furthermore, Ms. Johnson hosts her own bi-annual trips to Japan where students can experience the country and culture firsthand. Ms. Johnson has also created a network of Japanese pen-pals for her students to write and video throughout the year. Every year, she motivates her students to continue in the Japanese language by inducting 10 to 20 new members into the Japanese National Honor Society (Pre-College Junior-Chapter).
Ms. Johnson has served in Fulton County for two decades. During this time, she has led the World Language department at Elkins Pointe Middle School as department chair for several years and as a teacher mentor. She launched the first annual International Night for her school. In 2014, Elkins Point recognized Ms. Johnson as Teacher of the Year and later Fulton County awarded her Northwest Learning Community Teacher of the Year as well. Furthermore, Ms. Johnson has developed and revised Fulton County district Japanese curriculum and assessments. She also facilitated the statewide PLC for Japanese teachers for the 2021-22 school year.
Throughout her time as an educator, Ms. Johnson has worked in various roles: as a J-LEAP (Japanese Language Education Assistant Program) supervisor, as president and board member of GATJ (Georgia Association of Teachers of Japanese), as partner to the Foreign Language Education Department (FLED) at Kennesaw State University, and as membership director for the NCJLT (National Council of Japanese Language Teachers). Additionally, Ms. Johnson has been working on the NJE (National Japanese Exam) team since 2011.
Ms. Akiko Davis
Akiko Davis earned a Master’s Degree in Foreign Language Education from the University of Georgia in 1996 while she taught Japanese working there as a teaching assistant. She also taught various levels of Japanese and Japanese culture courses at Elon University in North Carolina as well as English at Futaba High School in Fukushima, Japan. While teaching at Elon University, she was the Assistant Director of the International Programs and organized orientations, activities, and services for international students.
She also worked closely with the curriculum development team for Irasshai, the distance learning program of Georgia Public Broadcasting, and contributed to the program creation and training of part-time instructors. She then joined the Georgia Virtual School and taught Japanese to high school students online for four years. In addition to teaching, she worked as a translator/interpreter for seven years at a Japanese company in Georgia.
She joined Kennesaw State University in 2015 as a part-time instructor and became a full-time lecturer in 2019. She incorporated Project-Based Learning into her Japanese courses and arranged a virtual exchange program with a university in Japan. She also mentors part-time instructors and contributed to the rapid growth of the Japanese Program at Kennesaw State University. She also serves as a faculty advisor of the Japanese Culture Club and assists student leaders in organizing monthly cultural events on campus as well as virtual events with the Japanese universities.
She also worked closely with the curriculum development team for Irasshai, the distance learning program of Georgia Public Broadcasting, and contributed to the program creation and training of part-time instructors. She then joined the Georgia Virtual School and taught Japanese to high school students online for four years. In addition to teaching, she worked as a translator/interpreter for seven years at a Japanese company in Georgia.
She joined Kennesaw State University in 2015 as a part-time instructor and became a full-time lecturer in 2019. She incorporated Project-Based Learning into her Japanese courses and arranged a virtual exchange program with a university in Japan. She also mentors part-time instructors and contributed to the rapid growth of the Japanese Program at Kennesaw State University. She also serves as a faculty advisor of the Japanese Culture Club and assists student leaders in organizing monthly cultural events on campus as well as virtual events with the Japanese universities.