Johanna Harness
Johanna Harness
4-H Program Coordinator
208-459-6003
University of Idaho Extension, Canyon County
501 Main St
Caldwell, ID 83605
Johanna believes in education as an integral part of lifelong learning, an in keeping alive the curiosity of children. She advocates for shared purpose, compassion and never-ending, play-filled work.
M.Ed., Lesley University, 2006
M.A., Washington State University, 1992
B.A., The College of Idaho, 1989
- Outstanding Volunteer, Canyon County 4-H Caldwell, 2018
- Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Award for Idaho, National History Day, College Park, MD. https://www.nhd.org, 2015
- Moonbeam Children’s Book Award, Traverse City, MI 49686, 2014
- Above And Beyond Award. Beyond The Margins Literary Cooperative Boston, MA, 2012
- Christopher Al-Aswad Prize. Escape Into Life: Online Arts Journal, 2010
- Adjunct Faculty Award. Lewis-Clark State College Lewiston, 1999
Johanna believes in education as an integral part of lifelong-learning, and in keeping alive the curiosity of children. After teaching college for ten years, she spent the next 25 years homeschooling her own three children. Along the way, she wrote children’s books; cared for her mom; raised cats, dogs, rabbits, cavies, goats, chickens and sheep; celebrated 35 years of marriage with the all-grown-up boy she met in kindergarten, and finally she followed in her grandparents’ footsteps by becoming an Idaho 4-H leader. Johanna helped develop the Clover Sparks program for Canyon County in 2021, and accepted the position of 4-H program coordinator in 2022. She advocates for shared purpose, compassion and never-ending, play-filled work.
- Harness, Johanna. "Comfort vs. Safety." Canyon County Leaders Council. Canyon County Extension Office, Caldwell, Idaho. 10 November 2022. Presentation.
- Harness, Johanna. "Writing the 4-H Story." University of Idaho 4-H Leader's Forum, Boise, Idaho. 7 November 2015. Presentation.
- Harness, Johanna. Spillworthy. Nampa, ID: Spillworthy Press, 2014. ISBN: 978- 0991381029.
- Harness, Johanna. "On The Success of The Amwriting Hashtag." The Publishing Talk Guide to Twitter. London: Reed Media, 2011. Print.
- Harness, Johanna. "Twitter For Writers." Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Rediscovered Books, Boise, Idaho. 1 Aug. 2011. Presentation.
- "Interview with Johanna Harness: Your Online Presence Can’t Be Just A Gimmick." Interview by Jane Friedman. Writers Digest, 12 Aug. 2010. Web.
- Harness, Johanna. “Keeping Courses Comparable: My Discoveries Teaching Introductory Writing on Campus and Online.” Lewis-Clark State College, Lewiston, ID. Third Annual TCC Writing Conference. April 1998. Paper and Presentation.
- Curiosity as an antidote to stress and prejudice
- Writing and story-telling as methods for teaching resilience
- Honoring the ages and stages of all human beings
- Imagination and creative expression as forms of therapy.
- Recognizing the full context of our lives as we practice mindfulness