The Washington Times
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Welcome to school with Tre the teacher
By David Elfin
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published December 7, 2005
The dreadlocks, tattoos and body piercings still decorate his massive
body. The rapid-fire delivery hasn't changed. Nor has the wide-ranging
conversational subject matter that always made him one of the most
interesting members of his previous profession.
No one ever would have pictured Edwin Stanton Johnson III -- better
known as Tre Johnson -- in the coat-and-tie world of an elite private
school, even though he holds two college degrees.
But there is Mr. Johnson, a former offensive lineman for the
Washington Redskins, teaching ancient history and world geography to
seventh- and eighth-graders -- make that Form I and Form II students --
at Landon School in Bethesda.
"My biggest concern was how the parents would react," said Mr.
Johnson, who is talking between classes and wearing a tie (no coat)
over a Ralph Lauren denim shirt. "I was sure some of them thought I
didn't even have an education, and now I was teaching their sons. I
have a master's degree with a focus in psychology and criminal justice.
"I was honest with them. I said, 'I'm not the most learned person
in this subject matter, but I'm going to make sure that your child
leaves here knowing more than me about it.' "
The intelligence and amazing agility of the 6-foot-2-inch,
337-pound Mr. Johnson were a potent combination on the football field.
Mr. Johnson played nine seasons in the NFL -- eight of them for the
Redskins -- before an injury to an Achilles tendon forced him to quit
football in 2003. He was voted to the Pro Bowl in 1999.
Mr. Johnson possessed something other than size and physical skill
that made him a good player. He also had a mean streak that made him
what he terms "a baller." Translation: He was going to hit you before
you hit him. And then he was going to hit you again.
"I was an evil, nasty dude," said Mr. Johnson, who was ejected from
the Redskins' only playoff victory during the past 13 years. "I didn't
have the best of attitudes when I was playing. I didn't think sports
was something to be nice about. [The Redskins] had monsters. Me,
Michael Westbrook, Brian Mitchell, Terry Allen. ... The most hard-core,
strong-minded, evil people on the planet. If there were no laws, we
would be kings of our own kingdoms somewhere in some form of anarchy."
Mr. Johnson's generically decorated classroom certainly isn't
anarchy. It's also not as button-down as most others on the 75-acre
campus of this school, which was founded in 1929. Landon has a student
body of 675 boys from third grade and up. They pay $24,000 a year to
attend.
"The best thing I've learned here is how to reach kids," said Mr.
Johnson, whose relative youth -- he's 34 -- and taste in music make him
a popular teacher, counselor and coach. "I like my classroom to be
loose. I'm not a disciplinarian, but we're not going to get distracted
to where we can't get anything done. I'm less worried about the grade
than about whether they understand the topic."
Seventh-grader Max Lehrman said Mr. Johnson makes sure his students
-- there are 15 to a class -- comprehend the geography they are
studying.
"We have quizzes almost every day so you really understand the
material," Max said. "Mr. Johnson doesn't go past something until
everyone understands it. He's the only teacher that's like that. He's a
lot more relaxed than most of the other teachers. He makes the class
fun. If we all do really well on something during the week, we might
watch 'SportsCenter' at the end of class on Friday."
Mr. Johnson is smart and accomplished -- he has begun work on a
doctorate in psychology -- but he had never taught or studied the
subjects he now teaches before he came to Landon in the spring of 2004
to help coach track.
He was impressive enough as a substitute teacher in science to be
hired for the 2004-05 academic year as a full-time teacher, serve as a
middle-school counselor and help coach the middle-school football team
and all the track teams. Mr. Johnson starred in shot put and discus at
Peekskill (N.Y.) High School.
Ninth-grader Matt Trotter had Mr. Johnson for ancient history last
year and worked with him extensively in track.
"Mr. Johnson takes an interest in each person," Matt said. "He uses
modern analogies that a lot of teachers don't, especially in ancient
history. He compared the importance of gladiators in the culture of
ancient Rome to the NFL in our culture today."
Mr. Johnson loves that he's learning with his students.
"I want to travel to all the places I teach about, places I had
only heard about before," Mr. Johnson said. "I mean, how fly is Italy?
I've got to get there. Egypt. You get excited, almost geeky about it."
Interim middle-school head Ed Sundt, who has been at Landon for
most of the past four decades, enjoys watching Mr. Johnson develop as a
teacher and a leader of young men.
"It's different speaking with Tre than with anyone else," Mr. Sundt
said, smiling. "He's a combination of William Faulkner and Casey
Stengel. He's filled with examples, and he just goes on. He's got so
much enthusiasm. Tre certainly has a rapport with the kids. There's
just a way about him. It's probably a combination of his own upbringing
and his familiarity with being around people in difficult situations."
A lot of difficult situations, professionally. Mr. Johnson grew up
in hard-scrabble Peekskill and starred for a Temple program that was
ignored by the school and community. He joined the Redskins as the team
began its slide after the retirement of coach Joe Gibbs after the 1992
season. The Redskins went 3-13 in 1994, Mr. Johnson's first season, and
started 0-7 in 1998. They opened 7-1 in 1996 and 6-2 in 2000, only to
collapse and miss the playoffs.
Along the way, Mr. Johnson missed 60 games because of injuries and
played in only one postseason game, from which he was ejected.
Those down notes could help explain Mr. Johnson's affinity for
Landon's less talented athletes. All Landon boys must play sports, Mr.
Johnson relates especially well to those who might wish they didn't.
"Tre has an uncanny ability to connect with kids who aren't always
the most accomplished in athletics," said Neil Phillips, Landon's
athletic director. "He's an advocate for the disenfranchised kids who
with help and time can get better. Those kids have found a champion in
Tre."
Mr. Johnson enjoys teaching in part because, unlike many other
jobs, it gives him more time to spend with wife Irene, a freelance
television editor and photographer, and daughter Chloe, 5. But he
doesn't plan to spend the rest of his career at Landon.
"I wasn't planning on teaching," Mr. Johnson said. "I was going to
get my Ph.D. in psychology and go into government-oriented stuff or
community service as it relates to professional athletes. There are a
lot of things that athletes in this town can do on a consistent basis
to make D.C. a better place.
"My long-term goal is to facilitate the link of athletics and the
pursuit of a higher education. In my old neighborhood, it was like, 'I
ain't going to school, dawg.' I would like to go athletic hotbeds and
convince kids to stop getting high and focus on athletics as a means to
an end."
It certainly worked out that way for Mr. Johnson, whom Redskins
center Cory Raymer remembers always questioning coaches and with whom
offensive tackle Jon Jansen held frequent dialogues on world events.
"I think I scared to death every coach that coached me," Mr.
Johnson said. "I'm not just going to take anybody's word for anything.
I abide by logic. If you can appeal to my sense of intellect, I can
definitely respond to the message you're trying to give me. But I am no
dogmatic follower.
"We all want to learn as much as we can and see as much as we can
before we die, don't we?"
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