Here are some things you may not know about Jennifer Baker, the new principal of Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda:
A gymnast, a cheerleader and a member of the diving team in high school, she was a “medium” student. “I was pretty much into a lot of things,” she says. “I heard a lot that I wasn’t living up to my potential.”
A put-down by a high school math teacher inspired her teaching career. “It’s probably the single solitary reason I became a math teacher.”
She’s a really good cook who put in 11 years in the restaurant business before becoming a teacher. But she always knew she wanted to teach—her dad was an elementary school principal—and she spent many childhood summers working at a camp for blind kids.
Also, she loves to travel to Barbados with her husband and is a big fan of author Ken Follett.
Baker, who turns 50 next month, is a veteran educator who expects to see plenty of familiar faces when classes start Aug. 29. Many of Walter Johnson’s students hail from Tilden Middle School in Rockville, where Baker was principal for four years before taking her new job.
Walter Johnson and some of its staff members are familiar as well, since Johnson began her career by teaching math at the school from 1995 to 2000.
That’s why Baker knew that she wanted the job when she heard that former Principal Christopher Garran was leaving. “This is a very special place,” she said. “The thought of coming back was something that I had to do.”
She’s impressed by the pride that the school takes in its commitment to academics and giving back to the community. “It’s always been like that,” she says. “The kids want to be involved and they’re very creative.”
Baker, who also served three years as an assistant principal at Bethesda’s Walt Whitman High School, say she’s looking forward to working with high schoolers again, and guiding them as they explore where they are headed in their lives. “Their sense of humor is more developed. You can really joke around with them. They’re not as sensitive as middle school students,” she said.
To that end, she wants to make sure students aren’t overwhelmed by schoolwork and the high expectations that they and their parents may have. “It’s about finding balance,” she said. “It is difficult for them to find that balance and time management is a huge piece. People need to take a look at their individual schedules and their lives and make the decision that is best for them.”
Baker said she’s talked with teachers about making sure that homework is designed to help students better comprehend material. “I will ask teachers to just reflect on the type of assignments they are giving kids: Is that necessary for students to understand the curriculum?” she said.
As she readies for a new school year, Baker has been getting reacquainted with Walter Johnson, which has undergone a major renovation. She’s written letters to parents and students and plans to get to know people through PTSA meetings, coffee meet-and-greets and by attending school events.
“I will be at everything,” she said. “People will meet me personally. There probably won’t be an event that I won’t be at.”
