User:Jsmit219

Julie Smith Gilmore: Personal Info
Hello, my name is Julie and I live in Northern VA. I am an "art therapy teacher" and am currently employed with Fairfax County Public Schools with a provisional teaching license. My school is called Mount Vernon Center (MVC), part of Mount Vernon High School (MVHS) in Alexandria, VA. My school is a subschool of MVHS, but we currently have our own principle and special ed. staff to support 9th-12th graders with e.d. (emotionally disturbed) needs. I have a Master's in Art Therapy from Vermont College of Norwich University (1997), and BA in psychology with art minor from Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA, 1987). This is my 3rd year teaching, and although it's a great challenge, I enjoy it overall. I am Korean-American, and I have lived in the U.S. since I was nine years old. I am married and have 2 boys, a 17-year-old, and an 8-year-old. We love playing Guitar Hero and Wii Sports, and our favorite tv show is Nickelodeon's Avatar: The Last Airbender. For more fun and craziness, I sing (soprano) with the Choral Arts Society of Washington (http://www.choralarts.org), usually performing at the Kennedy Center in DC. Besides our regular concert series throughout the year, we usually get to do a couple of fun gigs like "The Kennedy Center Honors" and "Capitol 4th of July". Maybe you saw me singing with Taylor Hicks and Huey Lewis and the News at the Capitol 4th this past summer~

Julie Smith Gilmore: Teaching Philosophy
Because I am both an art therapist and an art teacher, my teaching philosophy and practice take on many hats and I am learning to juggle those hats. I do believe that different students learn in different ways, mature differently, and are able to take in information differently at any given time. I believe that diversity in the student body makes for a better learning environment although there are obstacles to overcome. Given my student population, I do grade them on their individual abilities though they all have the same requirements. What one student may finish in 15 minutes, another might take an hour. As long as they are trying and invested, each will succeed in their own way. My class is an art studio and I try to promote an emotionally safe learning environment in which they can explore their ideas using art materials. I'm always looking to see which project is going to spark their imagination away, or which materials are going to lend itself to their self-expressions, which can be quite empowering and satisfying and ultimately self-rewarding as they learn about themselves. In terms of technology, my students use the internet often, as well as a digital camera, some simple photoshop or other graphic programs. I assess them on the daily participation, individual projects and portfolio reviews. In terms of curriculum, I think students should be given a lot of choices, to be investigators, learning different things, trying different things, being exposed to different views, finding out their likes and dislikes, their strengths and weaknesses, learning about themselves and becoming confident about who they are and their place in the world.