Dr. Johanna Amaro currently serves as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher for Plainfield High School in Plainfield, NJ. She has taught ESL and Spanish for ten years in New Jersey Public Schools. Her responsibilities include technology integration while teaching English and college readiness to students for whom English is not their first language. She has also presented at international, national, state and local conferences. Her primary research focus is on language acquisition utilizing the Universal Design Learning (UDL) framework and model.
Dr. Amaro, a member of the first cohort for a doctorate in Educational Technology Leadership at New Jersey City University, received her Ed. D. degree in 2017. She earned an MA in Urban Education specializing in English as a Second Language from New Jersey City University in 2012. She is the co-author of a chapter in the Handbook of Research on Virtual Training and Mentoring of Online Instructors and is currently collaborating in the research and writing of a peer-reviewed article on cooperative learning in K-16 classrooms. In June 2018 and 2019, she presented at the New Jersey Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages/ New Jersey Bilingual Educators (NJTESOL/ NJBE). In June 2019, she also presented at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).
In June 2017, she was selected to be a mentor for the Nature Conservancy Leaders in Environmental Action for the Future program. She also serves as a volunteer for the Appalachian Mountain Club Youth Opportunities Program as well as W/HIM, Woman’s Hand in Mission. In July 2015, Dr. Amaro traveled to Guatemala with the nonprofit organization W/HIM to deliver 30 tablets to Las Rosas Elementary School, an all-girls school, where she also spent three days facilitating Professional Development to the teachers and staff of the school. In an interview with Channel 12 News, Dr. Amaro said “My main goal was to help the students in Guatemala not be in my classroom in the future, to equip them with knowledge and education so they don’t have to cross the border and endanger their lives.”
New Jersey Teachers Spend Summer Teaching in Guatemala
Dr. Amaro is the Founder, CEO, and President of the nonprofit organization E3; The Educational Experience of Empowerment, an at-risk youth outreach program teaching students the power of their mind and the endless potential they have to achieve their dreams and have the lives they want. This organization focuses on tutoring, mentoring, field trips, college counseling, outdoor leadership and stewardship for high school students and young adults.
Dr. Amaro is a progressive thinker, visionary and life-long learner. She spends time with people that challenge and support her to achieve her highest potential. She enjoys mentoring young adults, novice as well as experienced teachers, and volunteering for local organizations. Additionally, she meditates and spends time in the outdoors and backcountry in her spare time.
A quote that resonates with Dr. Amaro is one from Bob Goff in an interview with Lewis Howes: “I want to listen to the truest voice, not the loudest…I want to be known for my opinion and remembered for my love.”