Guitar pedals, smoker grill, cabinets, dining table, baseball bats, guitar bodies, and amps.

All random items? No. All are items Kurt Johnson was determined to craft in his free time. 

Most people who know Johnson know that when he starts a project he is determined to finish it.

“So it may not be done within a timeframe, but I’ll get it done and you know, the persistence aspect of it will allow me to keep going strong,” Johnson said.

Throughout his teaching career, he has learned new skills to use toward his hobbies. Many of those skills are refined while working with students as they make mistakes and he must learn how to fix them in new ways. He has worked with a program called CAD for more than twenty years, and yet students still find new ways to mess an assignment up.

“Students have a knack for finding ways to do things I’ve not seen before. And that’s including dealing with software that I’ve worked with for 20-something years, they find something new on how and how they did it. I don’t know. But it’s always getting back to trying to fix it,” Johnson said.  

Johnson has taught many different students who learn in different ways, but he finds ways to accommodate and help them learn. One student in particular, now-senior Ethan Godwin, said he learned more about the reality of life because of Johnson’s class.

“From Mr. Johnson, I’ve learned that learning is not easy. And that by having an example or someone to show us the ropes is the best way to learn,” Godwin said.

His current students agree that Johnson’s teaching style pushes them to think independently and take responsibility for their own learning.

“He’s really organized in his way that he teaches and definitely straightforward with you,” senior Diego Escalante Lopez, who had Johnson for Drafting I and II, said. “If you ever do need help, he does help you, but he doesn’t exactly give you the answer. He definitely hints you toward it and always gets it done.”

Senior Nick Jimenez, who currently has Johnson for machine shop, said that approach makes his classes more rewarding.

“He’s very by the books, and he’ll never really give you free answers or anything, but he’ll always point you in the right direction,” Jimenez said. “I think that’s a good teaching style because it makes you learn the stuff on your own.”

For Jimenez, Johnson’s classes have been especially meaningful.

“Taking Drafting I and II definitely amplified my passion for architecture,” he said. “They were really fun classes, in my opinion, but they also kind of prepare you for what I would do in the future.”

Johnson is not the man who wants to fit in with the crowd; he would rather be himself and stand out. He does not want to follow a set path; he wants to go in a different direction than everybody, and learn new things along the way. In doing so, he has found many new ways to do some things.

“I don’t want to read the guidebook and go, what everybody tells me to go, I want to go down the back alleys and see all the things that are not in the book, I want to kind of see what kind of blows my mind just kind of makes you question it. And I’ve just come across a lot more things in life by not going by the book and you know, kind of just not beyond that straight path and wandering, I found a lot more interesting things,” Johnson said.

His directness and curiosity are also evident in the way he interacts with students in the classroom. Johnson is not the kind of guy to sugarcoat something when telling a student they messed up. He will be direct, but he will guide them through solving the issue. If he sees someone struggling, he will ask questions to figure out what us going wrong.

“He isn’t ever afraid to question you and share a laughing experience no matter how you respond to his question,” Godwin said.

Johnson has realized in his lifetime that he has to evolve and adapt to certain situations he has come across. Knowing that he will always have something new to learn is what motivates him to keep moving forward.

“Just knowing that you don’t know, as much as you think you know, that you’re always going to have to evolve, you’re always going to have to kind of change and adapt and it’s just one of those things that you need to not stay stagnant, and keep on doing the same thing. You’re always going to have to have your building blocks, but you’re going to have to adjust,” Johnson said.

His colleagues have noticed that same drive for improvement in the projects he assigns students.

“A lot of his projects are real-world related and not just things that can only be used in the classroom,” CTE teacher Kevin Jarosz said. “I think he enjoys getting students to think outside the box with projects and understand the importance of each detail.”

Johnson is not the kind of person who likes to repeat the same thing over and over. He likes to change it up and do new projects because it keeps him busy and engaged.

“I need something new, I need something to get me thinking, give me something different to design. And with that, I like making stuff and I’m always drawn towards doing something different. Sometimes it might just be similar aspects of the same thing. But the final product is totally different,” Johnson said.

That constant creative energy often means juggling multiple projects at once. Johnson said he frequently bounces between ideas depending on what inspires him at the moment.

“Focus is not my greatest strength,” he said. “I have a lot of interests. And with that, whatever is my drive, my interest at the moment, is what I’ll probably work on. But I’ll also walk away from it for whatever time frame.”

His coworkers have noticed his distinctive approach as well.

“First impression was a stereotypical industrial tech teacher that wears flannels and has an interest in working with his hands,” Jarosz said. “All his hobbies include building, creating, or fixing something – which is stereotypical of industrial tech teachers.”

When he does these projects, Johnson finds that perfection is key because one small mistake can ruin everything. He takes time to double-check – sometimes triple-check – his calculations.

“Instead of being arrogant about it, I like to question myself enough that I know it’s going to be right instead of assuming,” Johnson said. “Every time something like that happens, you better be prepared for what’s going to go wrong.”

When Johnson is sitting in his classroom or working on a project, he always plays music in the background—not just random music, but songs he connects with deeply.

“I guess how close a connection I have with music and how much it relates to the rest of my life,” Johnson said, “that I just keep on wanting to experiment with whatever I’m making, but also listen to music.”