With lots of help, Dave Johnson climbed a set of stairs that leads to the gymnasium at St. Raphael Catholic School in Crystal on a school day shortly before the Christmas break.
It’s a familiar path, one he has traveled countless times in his 45-plus years at the school. But having a staff member walk beside him as he navigates the steps is new. A stroke he suffered in September 2023 has significantly reduced the mobility on his right side and he has transitioned from full time to part time.
Though his body may waver, his passion and dedication for working at the school do not. In 1978, he accepted a job as a physical education teacher at St. Raphael. Today, at 71, he is not about to let a health condition keep him from walking through the doors of the school two days a week to help with school athletics and continue serving as a chaplain in the 4 His Glory program designed to help students apply faith values to athletics. Though he missed the rest of the 2023-2024 school year as he went through a stroke recovery, he came back in the fall of this school year to continue both his career and his legacy.
Johnson, who still does not know when he will retire, said what he does at St. Raphael comes down to this: “I just love being with kids.”
He has shown it many times over the years with a simple practice. Every time he corrects a paper in his classes (he also has taught science and health), he writes a personal note to each student on the paper.
“I had a teacher at Patrick Henry High School (in north Minneapolis) where I went to high school, and her name was Mrs. Timmerman,” Johnson recalled. “She used to write notes on my paper. And I’ll never forget that (it) made such an impact. I thought, ‘When I become a teacher, I want to be like Mrs. Timmerman.’”
He has tried to make each message personal and always adds at the end: “God bless you.”
“One thing about being a Catholic school teacher, I think it’s important to get to know the heart of your students,” he said. “That’s what we’re called to do as Christians.”
Every time Johnson travels the hallways of the school with the help of a walker, he provides inspiration to students and staff alike. People greet this longtime teacher, who is affectionately called “Mr. J,” as they walk by, and he shoots back a beaming smile every time.
No one, even Johnson himself, is sure when his days at St. Raphael will end. His attachment to students at the school is strong. Though he has no biological children, he said “all these kids are my children.” That makes the process of deciding when to retire difficult.
With a nephew currently in the seventh grade, he is leaning toward waiting at least until the end of next school year to retire. In the meantime, he is in a discernment process aided by a priest who has given him guidance.
“I said, ‘How do you know it’s time to leave teaching?’” Johnson recalled asking the priest. “I’ll never forget (the priest’s answer). He said, ‘Dave, listen to our Lord. He’ll tell you when.’ … I’m just going to listen to my heart to (know) when he tells me it’s time.”
For now, as he approaches his 50th year at St. Raphael, he knows he has a place inside the school’s walls for as long as he wants it.
“Father (Nick) Hagen (pastor of St. Raphael) and Mr. (Jason) Finne (school principal) told me: ‘The office in the gym is yours until you tell us you can’t come back,’” Johnson said. “Father Hagen said, ‘We’ll take you one hour (a week), we’ll take you whenever you can come here, just so long as you’re here with the kids.’”
