Belva Post

Hello!  My name is Brenda Paxton, and I am a new staff member for the 2007/2008 school year.  I am very excited about the creative opportunities at the Idaho Arts Charter School using focused investigation and teaching through the arts. I have a passion for the arts and a belief that students learn best in an atmosphere of creativity, expression, and relevance.

I hold a B.A. in Administration of Justice with an emphasis in Juvenile Delinquency, and a M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction.  I have taught for sixteen years and have spent the last 10 of those years at Homedale High School as an English, economics, speech, psychology, and drama teacher.  Throughout the past eight years, I have produced the plays for the high school with the help of student directors.  During the 2006/2007 school year, we performed a comedy with audience participation and a dinner theatre.

One highlight of my career was teaching for two years at the Kiev International School in Ukraine.  I have always loved Russian literature, music, and culture, and the opportunity to live and work in the former Soviet Union was a priceless experience.

I have been very involved with music from an early age.  I play both piano and oboe, and I was a member of the Treasure Valley Youth Symphony in high school.  I received several scholarships for the oboe and was a member of the Boise State University and the Portland State University’s orchestras.  I have also played in various chamber groups throughout the years.  I love classical music but more recently have branched out into bluegrass.  My family created a group several years ago with Grandpa on the stand-up bass, uncles and aunts on guitars and mandolins, various nieces and nephews on fiddles, and myself on the accordion.

On the home front, I spend time with my husband and children and have a large extended family surrounding me.  We raise White Park cattle and have assorted farm animals including horses, goats, dogs, and cats.