This is Crafton: Christina Johle—Making Children Feel at Home at College

Publish Date: May 17, 2019

Christina Johle considers her classroom at Crafton Hills College like her home.

“And I think of it as my baby because I’ve been here from the ground up,” said the longtime Child Development Center educator on a Tuesday morning as students began filling up the space, eager for a day of learning.

Ladybug décor hangs on the classroom walls, while the smells of essential oils waft through the air. It’s those little touches that the Yucaipa woman hopes sets a comfortable scene for all who walk through its doors.

Johle began her tenure with the center in 2002 after graduating from Crafton with an Associates degree in child development. And although the CDC has undergone its fair share of changes over the years, its Johle’s eagerness to teach a new generation of learners – and possibly future Roadrunners – that always has her coming back for more.

Johle’s path to education may not have been a straight one, but her passion for the career field began at a young age when she would read to her classmates in elementary school. She credits her kindergarten teacher – Mrs. Katz - for providing her the opportunity, calling the woman “wonderful.”

The 49-year-old considers herself to be a “child at heart,” which comes in handy when building a bond with her students. Another contributing factor – her eagerness to learn something new each day.

“I’m still kind of in awe of the things around me,” Johle explains. “I still get excited when I step outside and see a ladybug or something blooming. It’s those shared experiences that make this job more meaningful to me.”

To Johle, fostering a learning environment is more than just opening a lesson book – it’s creating a space for her students and their parents that keeps them wanting to come back for more. She does this by adding those little touches – the ladybugs and essential oils, to name a few – to the mix.

 “I want my students to feel like when they are leaving their home, they’re coming to another one,” Johle said. “I’ve been doing this for so long, but my joy comes from seeing them learn, and my excitement of learning something new myself I would hope, too, excites them each time.

“I want everyone to always remember that they’re always learning, that there’s always something more to learn, and to keep their sense of wonder,” she said.