Yelena Johnson, Founder of Cohesive Classrooms
Name: Yelena Johnson
Founder: Cohesive Classrooms
What's your elevator pitch? (Ie. In one sentence, what do you do?)
Yelena Patish Johnson is an educational consultant and professor specializing in supporting educators, schools, and district in developing their culturally responsive classroom management practices. I provide support in creating classroom communities where every child is seen, valued and heard regardless of their differences.
What's your story? Share how you got to where you are and WHY it is you do what you do.
Hello…my name is Yelena and I am one of the co-founders of Cohesive Classrooms. I never in a million years would have believed that I would be an educator. My dream (or at least I thought) was to live and work in NYC and be part of corporate America. I fulfilled this wish after college and went to work for a big consulting firm. At first, I loved it and enjoyed the travel and the people I was meeting. But after about 5 years, this inner voice started to creep in, and I found myself pondering “is this what I really want to do for the rest of my life?” I had this instinctual feeling that I was suppose to do more...and I wanted to do something that felt more purposeful and would bring me joy. After months of soul searching, I had that NYC moment…where I was taking another very long lunch break in mid-town Manhattan, eating my frozen yogurt… I stopped in my tracks, threw my frozen yogurt in the garbage, and said out loud “I don’t want to do this anymore!”
At that time, I was volunteering with kids and felt this pull to want to work with them more. Long story short…I took the leap and went back to school to get my Masters in Education. I still remember the moment I stepped into my first class in my teacher education program - I felt this sense of belonging, that I hadn’t felt before. It was from that moment on, that I never looked back. I went on to teach 6th grade, and that changed my life forever. My kids taught me so more than any book or class could have. I grew personally, socially and emotionally…and with that growth, I felt pulled to want to learn more.
So, I decided to take the leap again, moved across the country, to go back to school to get my PhD in Curriculum and Instruction. My area of focus is culturally responsive classroom management. I teach this course at our university and also have the privilege of coaching and providing professional development for teachers, schools and districts across the country. Now with 20 years of education experience under my belt, my work focuses on creating equitable classroom communities. My curriculum focuses on supporting educators in cultivating culturally responsive classroom communities that are reflective of students’ cultural, ethnic, linguistic, social and personal needs. I provide teacher training for districts and school, as well as one-on-one coaching to help support implementation of practices. All of this work can be conducted in person (my preference because I value human connection!) or virtually. My dream is to cultivate schools where we are able to bridge communities across differences, so every child feels seen, valued and heard regardless of their social group identity or make up.
What does BEING a FoundHer mean to you?
It means being part of community that supports woman who are working in growing their businesses, to help make an impact in our world and community today. It means uplifting woman, making connections with other entrepreneurs and finding opportunities for us all to thrive in this community.
How do you support other female founders and women in business?
I try as best to promote their businesses either by trying out their services, recommending their businesses to others, or providing social support via various social media outlets.
What are three podcasts you listen to that have helped you with your business?
Dear FoundHer
Leave Your Mark
Expanded
What is ONE BOOK that you would recommend every female business owner read?
The 5AM Club
Who is a female entrepreneur you look up to and why?
Allyson Stivers, my therapist. I feel that she practices what she preaches. I appreciate her business model and how she she has set up her practice aesthetically and financially. I also appreciate that she is so grounded in her work, and trusts in the process, and really believes in what she does - and that shows in the clients she attracts.
Let’s talk social media—who handles it for your company (you, an internal team member, an outsourced solution?) and what is the secret to making it successful? What is the biggest challenge?
Right now me..the biggest challenge is really knowing how to utilize it to promote my work
What is something you do differently from the industry standard?
I feel that one of my strengths is being able to connect with people first. I work on building a relationship whether it's one-on-one or a whole school building, before I launch into the content. I find that in my work, the trust and vulnerability needs to be there to really help make change.
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