Middlesex County’s 2024 Teacher of the Year Coaches Students to Success 

From behind home plate to the front of the classroom, Kristen Johnson built a career combining her two passions—coaching sports and helping others. 

“I was hesitant about going into teaching, especially after many of my experiences with conflict and bullying growing up,” Kristen said. “However, I knew I wanted to be directly involved in fostering a positive school culture—I loved the idea of teaching and helping others learn.” 

Kristen was a three-sport athlete in high school, coaching students and participating in clinics. 

“When I was a child, my dad asked me what position I wanted to play. He said, ‘Do you want to be involved in some plays or most of them?’” Kristen said. “I chose to be a catcher because I wanted to be involved in most plays. That’s how I look at teaching. I was very interested in how others learned.” 

Since earning her teaching degree from the GSE’s Five-Year Program with Certification in Social Studies Education (K-12), Kristen has taught ancient history at Carteret Middle School for the past 12 years, educating students about the history of humanity. She views teaching the humanities as teaching humanity.  

“There are so many lessons about how we can treat one another,” Kristen said. “My approach to teaching in the social studies classroom blends social-emotional learning with social studies. There’s a lot of power in looking at past decisions that people have made and asking, ‘What can we do better in the future?’” 

Kristen brings a unique perspective into the classroom, leveraging her experiences as a coach. 

“I started to thrive as a teacher when I took on a bit more of a coaching mentality,” she said. “Part of that mentality is having high standards and expectations and knowing that failure is part of the journey. It’s a starting point, not the endpoint.” 

Kristen Johnson teaching students in her classroom at Carteret Middle School

As a former advisor to school culture teams like the Positive Behavioral Support Program, “Eagle Strong / Rising Ramblers,” Kristen aims to encourage students to approach their educations with open minds.  

“I tell my students that at the end of the day, we’re here to learn. It resonates with a lot of students. They see a low test or homework grade and ask me, ‘Can I redo that? Can I retry?’ That’s powerful, because in life, if we give up the first time that we do something, we’re never going to achieve things.”  

Kristen’s journey as an athlete taught her that success does not always come immediately. Her dedication to teaching students about perseverance by creating a more supportive learning environment earned her the 2024 Middlesex County Teacher of the Year award. 

“I have been fortunate to have amazing coaches in my life, including my parents. I have worked with an incredible group of coworkers and an administration that has pushed me to innovate,” Kristen said. “As Middlesex County Teacher of the Year, I constantly ask myself, ‘What work can be done to push New Jersey’s education system forward? How do I empower my coworkers, the people around me, and my students to do more?’ I see this honor as not about me, but about Carteret, my school district, and all of us moving forward together.” 

Kristen gives kudos to the GSE’s Five-Year Teacher Education Program as it offered her a more efficient pathway into the teaching field. 

“I chose the GSE for my master’s program because of the wonderful education I received during my undergraduate study at Rutgers,” said Kristen, who earned her bachelor’s degree in 2010 from Rutgers. “It really is an outstanding university. The GSE program challenged my thinking and upheld high expectations. My expectations were one hundred percent met.” 

During her time at the GSE, Kristen took courses focused on educational legislation, curriculum development, and classroom methodologies. These courses were vital to her career, she said, as they provided her with a toolkit of strategies to utilize in her first few years of teaching.  

“The GSE set me up for success as a leader, both in and out of the classroom,” Kristen said. “I’m trying to help more people get into the teaching profession. When you get a great education like the one I received at Rutgers, it should be passed on. I owe a lot of that to Rutgers and the GSE.” 

Throughout her time in education, Kristen learned that being a teacher is much more than just understanding the content—it’s about building connections with students who look up to you.  

“You have to let your students know that they are safe in your classroom and that you are a trusted adult,” she said. “Being a teacher means supporting students in a way that sets them up for success far beyond the walls of your classroom.”