Name/hometown/alma mater?
Julia Ho/New York City/ Hamilton College, BA/ New York City Teaching Fellows Program, MS.
Where do you teach?
Carlthorp School, Santa Monica, CA.
What do you do there (i.e., what subject do you teach, what sport do you coach, do you live in a dorm or supervise a club, etc.)?
I am a 3rd grade homeroom teacher, which means I cover reading, math, social studies, computer class, and as well as the periods we set aside for spelling and vocabulary.
What is your favorite place on your school’s campus?
The picnic tables where the students eat lunch every day. Coming from New York, it is such a treat to eat outside with the kids in an open area. Goodbye noisy cafeterias!
What is the best part of your job?
My students are wonderful – and I suppose on most days they are truly the best part of my 
job. But I’ve been teaching for eight years and have yet to know a teacher who doesn’t form a special bond with their class. But what makes Carlthorp School special is the sense of community that exists among the faculty and staff. It is a wonderful to work in an environment that is both supportive and collaborative, and the best part of my job is in those moments when my colleagues and I are exchanging passionate ideas to bring to the classroom.
What is the hardest part of your job?
There are simply not enough hours in the day. The hardest part of my job is knowing when to put aside the marking, the planning, the parent emails and take a moment for myself.
What is one unique thing about your school?
Every morning at 8am, students, faculty, staff and parents get together for flag line. We celebrate birthdays and special community honors, reflect on a “Thought of the Day,” and say the Pledge of Allegiance. It is a simple, but powerful, routine. I have not taught at any other school where all members of the community are present as one, on a daily basis.
What is one thing you’ve learned about yourself since you started at your school?
I’ve taught at five different schools in the past eight years, which has meant for most of my teaching career I’ve been learning the ropes somewhere. But I realize that I have reached a turning point, where my past and varied experiences offer a broader perspective on curriculum, as well as classroom and school policy. Since starting at my school I’ve learned how much insight I’ve gathered from the places I’ve worked, and the colleagues I’ve taught with –and how valuable this has been in shaping the educator I am now.
Who was your placement associate/counselor at CS&A?
Courtney Gimbel Bardo – who worked tirelessly with me to find the perfect fit.
Did you attend any of CS&A’s conferences while you were conducting your search?
Yes, I attended the LA and San Francisco conferences as I was looking in these particular areas. I also attended the national conference in Philadelphia this year to meet with California schools visiting the east coast where I am from.
Who are your mentors?
Over the years I have many – the teachers on my team who drive me to be my most creative self, the administrators I have had (and have now) who encourage me to explore new approaches. I will always be eternally grateful to Myra Rodriguez, a fellow Kindergarten teacher with 15 years of experience to my zero, who saw me through my first year as a teacher, at P.S. 79 in the Bronx. She taught me a powerful lesson about not leaving five-year-olds with glue and scissors for too long and cooked me lunch when I was too overwhelmed to take care of myself.
What advice would you give to aspiring teachers at independent schools?
I think there is something very valuable in having varied experiences. We drive our students to become “well-rounded,” and we should follow our own advice. I started my career teaching in a high-needs public school. Since then I’ve taught in three independent schools, as well as in rural Namibia. In each of these places I have used different curricula, gained knowledge of new approaches, and observed various school philosophies at work. In the end, the nature of my experiences made me a valuable candidate. They have also made me incredibly appreciative of the opportunity to work at the wonderful school I am part of now. If I had stayed at the first school I had been hired in, I wouldn’t have gained these new perspectives, and I certainly wouldn’t be the teacher I am now.
