by Jen Myers

In a brightly decorated room on the first floor of the McAuliffe Elementary School that brings consonants, vowels, diphthongs, and digraphs to vibrant life, Johnna Bahou helps a group of three budding readers sound out words with short “a” sounds – map, what, fat.

While reading may be fundamental, and something some adults who have been doing it for a long time take for granted, it does not always come easy to everyone. That is where Bahou, a Reading Intervention teacher, comes in.

She has been at the McAuliffe since 2009, working with students in grades 1-4 who need a little extra help with reading in a small group setting to assure that each student gets the specialized attention they need.

“I am passionate about teaching kids how to read,” said Bahou, a self-proclaimed “reading nerd.” “The ability to read opens doors both academically and professionally. Reading is not a natural process like speaking – we need to teach these skills and provide students with time to apply and practice them.  There’s nothing better than when a student who has been struggling begins to realize they can read.”

Watching her work, it is hard to believe she was not born in a classroom, but teaching was not Bahou’s first professional role.

Bahou grew up in Lowell’s Lower Highlands neighborhood, graduating from Lowell High School before earning an associate’s degree in Business from Northern Essex Community College.

She spent 12 years working in Human Resources in the private sector before taking a leap and trying something different – taking a job as a paraprofessional at the Moody Elementary School in 1997, a position that allowed her to be home when her kids were home.

“Surprisingly, I found that I really enjoyed the work,” she said. “It was very rewarding and gave me a sense of purpose and of making a difference. I was also inspired by the teachers I worked with – the level of dedication and patience they all had every day.”

Bahou was part of the second cohort of paraprofessionals to graduate from Fitchburg State University with a bachelor’s degree in Education through a partnership between FSU and Lowell Public Schools. She then went on to earn her master’s degree from FSU.

Before finding her forever home at the McAuliffe, Bahou was a paraprofessional at the Moody, a paraprofessional and student teacher at the Shaughnessy, and a Special Education teacher at the Rogers School.

She discovered her passion while working with students with Dyslexia and dove into professional development offerings to best serve her students.

“I am certified in Orton Gillingham and trained in the Wilson Reading Program,” she said. “I attend two Dsylexia conferences every year for professional development and listen to podcasts, read blogs and attend webinars to keep current on what is happening in the field of reading.”

She works to provide students with the foundational skills they need to not only read, but to fully comprehend what they have read.

“There is a need for students to be explicitly taught foundational phonics skills instead of teaching them to guess and use pictures clues,” she said.  “But reading is not just phonics.  Students also need a wide vocabulary and background knowledge to process what they read. Reading is really a very interesting and complex system.”

“Johnna’s commitment to teaching kids to read is unmatched by any professional I have ever met,” said McAuliffe Principal David Anderson. “It is magical to watch her work with students and then talk with her about why she is doing what she does with each individual student in her group.”

Bahou keeps the vibe in her classroom loose and fun, with a variety of activities to both ease students’ anxieties and keep their attention.

“Students are placed in groups by their needs – so everyone is pretty much on the same level; this helps kids feel more comfortable to take risks and to realize they are not the only one who needs a little extra help,” Bahou explained. “I try to build a lot of movement into my lessons so we are not just sitting – we go up to the smart board, we find letters on the big alphabet chart, we use white boards and magnetic letters.  If someone becomes frustrated – I give them room to feel their feelings safely, then reassure them they can read and they just need a little more practice.  I also try my best to make learning to read fun, by using games to practice word level reading before we dive into reading text.”

She loves working with elementary-age students because they keep her smiling and laughing every day because they are “hilariously honest,” asking her questions like “why is the top of your hair white? Or explaining that “my neighbors are older than you because they are more wrinkly.”

“Most days I go home with a smile,” Bahou said.

All About Mrs. Bahou

Hobbies: Gardening, walking, reading
Dream Vacation:  Touring Ireland
Favorite song to sing in the car:  Thunder Road – by Bruce Springsteen
Favorite meal:  Turkey dinner with all the trimmings
Favorite snack:  Cookies
Favorite Movie:   The Bird Cage
Favorite Book:   The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware