Hi. Thanks for visiting! I am an art teacher of 20 years. When tasked with making a portfolio of my teaching techniques and philosophies, I was at a bit of a loss on how to display my artifacts. As a creative spirit, employing a depository where I simply dumped all my work seemed counter-intuitive and, quite frankly, boring. The answer emerged as was collecting the artifacts. I naturally thought about them in terms of my educational story. Since I was trained as a children’s book illustrator, the answer became clear!
Jil (derived from my monogram) wanders through learning how to grow a garden in much the same way I have developed as a teacher. Throughout the story, you will see plants grow from either side of your screen. Each of those indicates an artifact related to that piece of Jil’s story (and hence, my teaching career). Much of these are more recent examples and solutions to the educational problem presented, though I include older artifacts when possible.
Another note: I used this opportunity as additional Professional Development. I have rolled it into my Senior Studio class and we are learning website development together! So please forgive any glitches you may come across. It’s a work in progress!
A little about this project
A little about me
I knew I wanted to be a teacher when I was in 6th grade. My geography teacher, in my tiny, mid-western town, stood on a chair and bellowed a chant to open the lesson on a location/culture we were to discuss that day. Twenty-five groggy middle school students snapped to attention. I was hooked!
But as I got older, art became more of a dominant feature in my life. I have always been an artist, but I started to realize that it was what I wanted to do with my life, at least first. I went to school to study Illustration and Graphic Design at Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia. My life plan was to work in the field for a bit, and then make my way to teaching.
Nearing the end of my studies, I took a job as a classroom assistant to a girl with Cerebral Palsy. My job was to keep her mainstreamed in the public-school system by attending classes with her and helping her with her day to day activities. It was an eye-opening experience. I was able to live the experience of a middle school student going from class to class. As an adult, it looked very different than when I did it myself! I met some really amazing teachers…and some not-so-amazing ones. And helping my charge navigate those dynamics made me have a deeper understanding of what it meant to be an effective, engaging teacher. I wanted my own classroom! I put my resume online, got a call to interview in a school in Sunnyvale CA, and with only what would fit in my VW golf, drove across the country to start my new life as a teacher. The rest is told here.
