Stephanie Johnson is a psychology professor at Jones. She studied psychology at USM and was a counselor in Nashville for nearly a decade after graduating. Ultimately, Johnson found her calling in teaching.
Johnson began her work at Jones in 1997. A decade before, she was a student writer for the Radionian.
“I wrote an article about fashion, which is hysterical if you know me because I know nothing about fashion,” Johnson said.
An article titled “JC styles, Fads pondered” was published in an edition of the school paper in 1987. One line reads, “today’s trend is the torn-up look. Many people are dressing as sloppy as possible.”
Johnson also wrote “Beliefs in crystals grows popular” and “Research papers cause hassle” during her time at Jones.
“My friend and I– who I’m still friends with to this day– had an advice column,” Johnson recalls. “Teen Talk” was the name of the column, and each entry started with the iconic “Dear Stan and Amy.” “Stan” was Johnson’s pen name.
“I was Stan, because of Stephanie, and my friend was Amy,” Johnson said.
In the era of “Teen Talk”, there was a box in the Student Center, where students could anonymously put questions in the box.
“They would write, and then we would pretend we were psychologists and answer them,” Johnson said.
One advertisement for the column reads, “Are you having problems with school, sex or drugs? Maybe Stan and Amy can help. Put letters in the teen talk box located in the student center. Questions will be answered in each issue of the Radionian.”
“It’s funny now to read some of the questions. Back then, though, we took it pretty seriously,” said Johnson.
One entry under the pseudonym “Aloner” said, “Dear Stan and Amy, I have been so depressed. I don’t have anyone to talk to. I have friends, but not the kind that really listen.”
“Dear Aloner, Maybe you need to find some new friends. Get involved in school activities. Join some clubs that interest you and meet new friends,” the iconic duo said.
“I knew, then, I wanted to be a psychologist,” said Johnson.
“I was the friend, even in seventh grade, I was the one who people would say “hey, listen to this, what should I do?” Johnson said. Her responses as “Stan” in Teen Talk showcase this fact about herself.
Johnson’s psychology course memorably features a preserved human brain.
“It belonged to a man, and someone along the way told me it was a man in his 50s who potentially died of a heart attack,” Johnson said. “We didn’t always let students hold the brain.”
Johnson inherited the brain when she began working at Jones, and she decided to give students the option to hold it.
“It helps students who are going into the medical field, because even in nursing school they’re not holding brains, and it definitely sparks interest in psychology,” Johnson said.
She said she plans to retire later this year.
“When I retire, [the brain] will go to Kathryn Davis. She’ll inherit it full time, and she’ll do whatever she wants with it. She could choose to stop letting students hold it, but she won’t,” Johnson said. “Kids always remember holding the brain. Even students who don’t remember me or my class remember holding the brain.”
Julianna Dominguez, a previous student of Johnson’s, said, “I think holding the human brain was the most impactful and memorable part of the class. It was more than just seeing an image on a projector. Being able to hold it really connected some dots for me.”
by Gabriella Dominguez
