Bayside Art Teacher Takes Home Kohl Award

It’s a celebration of creativity.  In her classroom at , art teacher Julie Trump emblazens creative process as she focuses on the work of each individual student. The Kohl Education Foundation celebrated Trump’s creative teaching talent by awarding her a 2011 Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Fellowship.

Each year the foundation awards fellowships to 100 teachers in the state of Wisconsin. Each recepient is reviewed for their inspirational and motivational abilities, and the recepient's school receives a $1,000 grant.

For 15 years, Trump has been teaching art to fifth through eighth grade students at Bayside Middle School.  She says her success stems from her belief that “learning is an active process.”  She says, “I feel it is important to advocate for a hands-on creative learning process across the curriculum in addition to more traditional methods.”  

Trump doesn’t yet know what she will do with her own fellowship, but has ideas for the schools grant of $1,000. “I hope we can use the money to purchase some frames to display art the children have done," Trump said.

When it comes to the classroom, Trump sets “high expectations” for all her students and asks them “to try things outside their comfort zone,” but she forms goals that “may differ from child to child because each student has a particular learning style and is at different levels.”

But even with high expectations, Trump believes that learning enviornment is very important.

“I want an environment where learning is fun, safe and comfortable to learn and explore in.”  She invites parents, former students, and members of the community to come into her classroom and asks them to volunteer.  “I tell them that just sitting with the children and working on artwork together is meaningful.  If the students see interest directed at their effort and enthusiasm, it validates the instruction.”

She organized a Culture Day, where people of all ages came in and shared their cultural background through dance, art and food.  She said she “had a grandmother from the neighborhood volunteer in my room.  She worked on a layout and design project where children read books on a specific artist, then created an informational brochure.” 

Trump also project called ‘Creative Creatures’ where students create a paper maché creature that displays a play-on-words.  One example is a pig with a pan on its belly, representing a Potbellied Pig.  She asked students to work with their families to create these projects, and in English class the students did writing assignments inspired by the their creatures.

Trump’s involvement with the community goes beyond her classroom.  She has advised with the Student Council and, through it, has involved the students with community service projects, such as planting bulbs, organizing bake sales for a breast cancer charity, a community painting activity called ‘Art with Heart’ that benefitted heart research, and the creation of a community garden that donated produce to a local restaurant. She also promoted a ‘Garden Night’ to benefit Breast Cancer Awareness, and created her own designs and sculpture to help the Milwaukee Symphony League and other community organizations.

In addition to community involvement, Trump believes it's important to keep pace with changes in education. She is currently working on ways to integrate digital technology into her classroom and the projects she presents to the students.

“Within the realm of technology, digital art and digitally assisted layout and design hold much promise," Trump said. "The advancement in technology is moving fast, and we as teachers need to jump in and enjoy the journey. We must be open to learning from our students and know in our hearts that we still have a great amount of wisdom to share. We also have the opportunity to demonstrate the importance of problem solving, collaboration, and the wonder and excitement of discovery. ” 

She wants to use technology while “remembering that teaching comes from the heart.”