Halfway through his first year as a science teacher at Southside High School, Scott Johnston has learned almost as much as his students.

Johnston, 45, who teaches marine science and anatomy and physiology, left a retail management job to pursue his dream of being an educator, and while this first half of the year has had a few ups and downs, Johnson is still thrilled with his decision.

The Greenville News is following Johnston through his first year of teaching.

In an interview before the start of school in August, Johnston outlined his personal metric for success as a teacher: I want to be that teacher that challenges their students, holds them accountable, but most importantly, knows that I care about them as individuals. Success for me is about whether or not my students are leading a happy and productive life.

Now, nearly four monthslater, Johnston has found his daily rhythm and is feeling comfortable in front of his classes every day.

Its kind of a dream come true for me to finally realize what Ive really felt like I should be doing my entire life, Johnston said one recent afternoon, relaxing in his classroom during his daily planning period. So the dream hasnt become a nightmare, but there have been obvious scenarios where my limits are tested.

Johnston starts his day early, more than an hour before students arrive. He gets into his classroom around 7:15 so that he has time to get organized and relax a bit before the first bell rings.

Im probably the second or third car out in the parking lot. I love getting up early, getting in here and sipping my coffee, he said. Getting my lesson plan prepared, ready to go, I enjoy getting up every morning and coming to work. Its not perfect, but its fun, and I love my kids. I really have grown to love them.

As the school year began, Johnstons classroom at Southside bore few personal touches, but thats changed as the months have progressed.

A human skeleton that was nameless when school started is now called Henry. The drably colored walls are brightened with anatomy posters, molecular diagrams created by students, a poster with a quote from Rosa Parks.

Scott Johnston, a first-year marine science and anatomy and physiology teacher at Southside High School in Greenville.(Photo: MATT BURKHARTT/Staff)

A visitor to Johnsons class in early December would never guess that hed only been teaching there for a few months, but Johnston said it did take some time for him to feel at home in the classroom.

One of the biggest challenges was getting to know my students and getting to know how relate to them and how to get them motivated. On top of that, the topics, the subjects that Im teaching have no set standards in South Carolina, so were kind of deciding our curriculum as we go, Johnston said.

For his marine science classes, he works with two other teachers to draft a curriculum.

Each week, he plans his routine and sets goals for the week, which helps keep him and his students on track. It also helps Johnston stay on top of the paperwork that is required of him as a teacher at Southside and as a first-year teacher who was certified through the PACE program for career-change educators.

One of the biggest challenges for Johnston has been learning how to set the tone in class, to find the best way to deal with students who have behavioral issues while still providing the right educational environment for others.

A few times, Johnston said, hes raised his voice incorrectly, but he makes a point to apologize afterward.

And hes found some nice, at times unexpected connections with his students, 90% of whom are amazing, Johnston said.

In September, one of Johnstons family members died of a drug overdose, and he ended up talking to his students about the tragedy.

It was an opportunity for me to become human with my kids and to open up with them and to get some real life messages across, some things I think my kids really needed to hear, Johnston said. So the impact of that was, I had kids come up to me after the fact, privately, telling me, I had a family member die. I know what youre going through. The empathy that these kids showed was really touching.

After midterms and Christmas break, Johnston will make a few tweaks to his classroom setting and teaching style. Its a re-set, a way to start fresh for the second semester.

But whatever changes he makes in the tangible aspects of his classroom, Johnston doesnt expect his love for his new career to fade.

The dreams definitely become a reality. Im not nave enough to know that its all going to be cakes and roses. You know the old saying, If you love what you do, youll never work a day in your life? Thats kind of how I feel.

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'Dream come true': First-year science teacher at Southside High School reflects on beginning months of job - Greenville News