Hello Pirates!

My name is Rachel Johnson and I am Faculty and Co-Chair of the Child Development and Education Department.  I have over 29 years experience in the field of Child Development.  I have been a preschool, Kindergarten and TK-teacher and have spent years supporting classrooms and teachers to be the best the absolutely can be throughout Los Angeles County, Ventura County, and across our nation.   

Our students are the most important to me because you are going to be one of the most important people to our youngest children in our society and you have the ability to change the world though your work with those children.  You will be contributing to the foundational formation of a child's life when you support and work with them.  Working with children and families is not easy.  It is a job of the heart and mind.  My job is to give you the foundational skills you will need to be the best and most intentional person you can be for our children and their families because through them, you will have the opportunity to make a difference in this world. 

I look forward to getting to know you and supporting you on your journey!

Rachel

Statement of Support:

At this moment in our nation’s history, it is especially important for our field of education and our department to support the Black Lives Matter movement. Building relationships and understanding the context in which children, families, and teachers live is at the forefront of our program’s pedagogy. The Child Development and Education Department at Ventura College stands fast in the equitable, thoughtful, responsive education and care of children and in the preparation of future teachers.

I firmly believe that we must support our LGBTQIA2S+ student population. Love is love and the only way we will develop compassion and empathy as a human race is if we practice empathy and compassion daily. For a person to make the decision to live their life every day being the person they know that they are at the core of who they are needs to be honored and recognized to any extend our community chooses to share with us. 

There are many different types of families in our world and we must learn as educators to meet each and every family with compassion and respect.  This is foundational as you are developing as a teacher. As an educator supporting preservice teachers, I hope I can model kindness, compassion, meeting you where you are at and also lifting you up all the while challenging and pushing you into your discomfort so that you are able to grow in a supportive environment.  Some may consider me WOKE but I challenge you to consider if you are…

Working

On

Kindness

Everyday

Ventura College campus is situated on the homelands of the Micqanaqa'n, Chumash and multiple other Indigenous nations, present and past. 

Elizabeth serves as the Program Coordinator for the Veterans Resource Center at Ventura College. Elizabeth worked at the University of California, Santa Barbara for 3 years where she worked as a College Site Coordinator for the Early Academic Outreach Program at Hueneme High School and later served as the Advisor for the Capital Internship Program (UCDC/UCCS). Elizabeth wanted to return back to her community and work for the community colleges where she began her educational journey and served as the Career and Transfer Specialist for the Proyecto Exito Grant at Oxnard College. She is a first generation college graduate who is extremely passionate about helping students of all backgrounds achieve their academic and professional goals. She is a proud Matador and Gaucho who graduated from CSUN with a masters in Higher Education Leadership & Policy and earned her bachelors degree from UCSB in Sociology & Educational Studies.