Dana Pelzman

I've always loved art and viewed myself as a creative thinker. While core subjects in school were never very easy for me, I gravitated towards art, specifically colors, textures and design. I went college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and studied fashion design, and then completed my studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. I thought that fashion design was going to be my life's work, but after a variety of jobs within the industry, I didn't feel like my authentic self and pivoted to earn a Masters in Art Education from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH. From there I zig-zagged a bit more around the U.S. and taught middle school art in a public school in Los Angeles and then headed to the east coast to teach art where I grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland, which is just outside of Washington, DC. I have been working as a middle school art teacher within the Montgomery County School system since 2006. I worked in one school for 15 years and have been teaching art within the Montgomery Virtual Academy, a 100% virtual program in Montgomery County Public Schools, since it opened three years ago. I teach a variety of classes to our Montgomery Virtual Academy middle schoolers. They have ranged from Studio Art 1, 2 and 3, 2D Studio Art, Innovative Art and Design to ALO (Alternate Learning Objectives), which is designed for students with complex learning and cognitive needs, including mild to moderate intellectual disabilities. I love teaching art virtually! While we cannot use many traditional materials that would normally be a part of an art program in an in-person setting, I find that the challenge of teaching art through a screen requires even more creative thinking and innovation on my part, which is why I use the MCP principles in my teaching philosophy and methodology.