Julie Murugen
Julie Murugen
5th Grade
Contact Information
Biography
B.S. Biochemistry, M.S. Biology at West Texas A&M University
MA in English from Southern Methodist University
BA in English with Secondary Teaching Certificate in English from The University of Texas at Arlington
While pursuing her BA, Julie began working in the college writing lab and enjoyed meeting with students one-on-one, so she expanded her degree plan to include earning teacher certification. Again, in graduate school, she found happiness in the classroom teaching composition courses and in part time consulting in a business setting. She thought her course was set to continue working with young adults; however, her plans changed when the arrival of her second son after sixteen years turned her thoughts back to children, and she has worked in private schools ever since, primarily teaching English and doing creative summer camps for grades 3-8.
Asking “How hard can it be?” led her to try writing her first play for children around 2001, and she has completed over twenty more, modifying them through the years to fit changing cast sizes and the unique needs of the performers. Her latest play was a rhyming version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, occasioned by her desire for her struggling students to love Shakespeare’s story on their own terms.
Julie loves reading (especially fantasy and science fiction); writing plays, poetry, and short stories; listening to all kinds of audiobooks; attending live theater and music performances; solving word and logic puzzles; and watching international mystery series. One of the biggest highlights of recent years was a trip to South Africa to meet many new nieces, nephews, and cousins by marriage and to travel to beautiful sites such as Umhlanga Rocks Beach in Durban, the Valley of a Thousand Hills near Pietermaritzburg, and the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens in Cape Town.
Courses: 5th Grade Language Arts, Social Studies, Study & Social Skills, and Enrichment