Summer — 2009

Leigh Johnson

Early Childhood Education

“For women of my age, SMC can be the gateway to an entirely different career. Or maybe even that first career.”

‘The Industry,’ as it’s known throughout LA, can be a real meatgrinder. Just ask Leigh Johnson, who spent many years hustling around behind the cameras while the movie stars flashed their ‘pearly whites’ out in front. “When you’re crew on a film, you might be working 18 hours a day—it’s a lot different for actors—and for us it can be a real grind. I’ve been out of it now for 20 years—raising my kids—and to go back into it at this stage of life just doesn’t seem practical. Even for all the money.”

So Leigh has decided to get back into raising kids all over again. But this time as a teacher. “There’s a lot of ignorance out there, because people think that teaching children is easy, or that it’s something like being a babysitter. But nothing could be farther from the truth. And I look at what I’m doing now as a chance to give something back. I just started six weeks ago, but it’s already been a very positive experience. Coming from the film industry, everyone I meet has tended to come from there too. But now I’m meeting people from all kinds of backgrounds. I mean, last week I was sitting at a table with two young women from Argentina and Peru. And they were great!”

Leigh reports, “I’ve been studying with Professor Edith Spain, and she is just phenomenal! She’s taught preschool for years, and she’s run all sorts of programs. She’s just a complete advocate for children,” adds Leigh. “I’m just very pleased that I found my way to this amazing place.”

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