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Grethe Myles Fund for Art Teacher Education

Grethe Myles and Dr. Tom Witt West Virginia art teachers will soon have the opportunity to learn about updated classroom plans, new curriculum and the latest technology during a summer symposium established through a donation by Grethe Myles and Dr. Tom Witt.

A West Virginia native who earned a BA and an MA from West Virginia University  School of Art & Design, Myles wanted to establish the fund because of her experiences as an art teacher around the state after graduating from WVU and leaving Morgantown.

“Early in my teaching career, I was the only art teacher in my schools,” Myles said. “There was little or no feedback for idea exchange and those were years well before the internet.”

A move back to Morgantown again put Myles into a space of learning and growth as an art teacher.

“Once coming to Morgantown, there were several other art teachers with whom I could connect,” Myles said. “We attended West Virginia Art Education Association and National Art Education Association conferences which were terrific for idea swapping and learning new techniques.  All this interaction with other art teachers and exposure to broader ideas was were incredibly helpful to me in the classroom.”  

Myles hopes her gift will bring about the same interaction for teachers from every corner of the state.

“While the internet is an incredible tool, especially for young and new art teachers, I feel it is still critical to have personal interaction for growth,” Myles said. 

According to Teri Giobbia, assistant professor of art education, the symposium will provide an opportunity for teachers to stay up on to become proficient in the latest knowledge and skills needed for the next generation of students.

“We will have faculty, alumni and industry professionals on hand to discuss the new and emerging things happening in art education,” Giobbia said. “Teachers today have technology-based skills that the retiring generation of teachers didn’t have, so it’s important to encourage them to use those skills in the classroom, which will help them engage with this new generation of learners, that some of whom are hard to engage.”

Giobbia, who is coordinating the conference, said teachers attending the symposium will also have the opportunity to complete the newly state-required course for cooperating teachers.

“If you want to be able to host a student-teacher in your classroom in West Virginia, you will now have to take this course,” Giobbia said. “We will be completing the course, so that’s a benefit for teachers whom won’t have to take the course on their own time or dime.”

The inaugural symposium is scheduled for June 20 – 21, 2019 at the College of Creative Arts.  Registration fees and room and board for two nights will be provided at no charge to the first 20 teachers who register by June 1, 2019.