Five minutes with … Dorlisa Johnson

Dorlisa Johnson is an 18- year veteran teacher and administrator for the public school system. She has taught elementary, middle and high school students. For the last eight years, Johnson was the assistant principal at West Clayton Elementary. This year she has taken the helm of Riverwood Elementary School as principal.

Q: Where are you from?

I am from a little farming community in western New York called Byron. It is between Buffalo and Rochester.

Q: How did you get to North Carolina?

I was actually a Teach for America teacher. When I graduated from college we (the Teach for America team) met in Rocky Mount and then went to Houston for training. I was trained to work with specially challenged students and students that faced a lot of poverty. After training I returned to North Carolina and taught in Rocky Mount. The area I was in had a lot of poverty and needed energetic teachers. I won the outstanding teacher award while I was there.

Q: How did you end up in Clayton?

I should mention that I met my husband through my Teach for America experience. After I completed my two-year assignment with Teach for America, I went to work in Wake County. I was in Fuquay-Varina and he was in Rocky Mount, so we needed to find a halfway point. We fell in love with Clayton and moved here in 1998.

Q: Why did you decide to leave the classroom for administration?

I moved to Wake County as a classroom teacher. Then when we (the family) moved to Johnston County, I moved to the Johnston County schools. I had experience teaching elementary, middle and high school students. I knew how the systems worked at each grade level. Eventually people started saying, ‘Have you thought about administration?’ I decided to get a degree in school administration and went to work at West Clayton Elementary as the assistant principal. I was there for eight years.

Q; Do you have a favorite grade level to teach?

Not really – I’ve learned that kids are kids. They have the same needs and wants. I find it very natural to work with all students. I feel very connected to them.

I always wanted to be a teacher. I have a passion for teaching. I’ve always found school to be a very rewarding and fulfilling experience.

Q: What is your favorite thing about being the principal at Riverwood Elementary?

I love being with the children. I love caring for and nurturing them. I believe in positive reinforcement. My leadership style is very positive. I always try to think, ‘How can we make this a positive situation?’

Q: Do you have children?

We have a daughter, Grayson, who is seven and in first grade here at Riverwood with me. We also have a son, Holden, who is four and a half. He will come here for kindergarten in the fall.

Q: How does your family feel about you being a principal?

Grayson was excited when she found out that I would be the principal at Riverwood, but she wanted to know if she could come, too. (Grayson attended West Clayton Elementary where Johnson was assistant principal before joining Riverwood Elementary.) My husband has worked in the school system as a band director for 28 years. He is very understanding and supportive. We know each other’s jobs. There is a lot of music and talk about education in our home!