Hi! I'm DrJo (Dr. Melissa Gibson). I love teaching and look forward to having you as a student! If the text below doesn't answer questions for you, please contact me and ask for a personal answer.
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Professional life:
I've graduated from several schools - all Kentucky bred. High school was at Pulaski County (I played for the chorus and was Valedictorian), then college at Somerset Community College, Eastern Kentucky University, Union College, and finally, University of Kentucky. I have a music education & math bachelor's degree, Education master's and doctorate degrees, and a Library Science master's degree.
During my career I taught music, math, computer applications and library science in both Kentucky and South Dakota public schools. In colleges I have been a computer teacher, education teacher, and music teacher. I started teaching piano lessons when I was 13 years old, and have taught those on and off over the last 40+ years.
My positions included music teacher at Science Hill Elementary in Pulaski County, Middlesboro Middle School and East and West Side Elementary Schools (middle school math and elementary music), Bell County High School (choral and keyboard music and pre-algebra), and Squires Elementary in Fayette County (library media specialist). I have worked at the Education Library at UK, at the Genealogy Research Room at the Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives, and at Lexington Public Library as a Reference Assistant. In South Dakota, I spent one year as a computer teacher at Mitchell Middle School, and three years teaching computer applications at Dakota Wesleyan University. My four years at Lindsey Wilson College taught me a great deal about working with pre-service teachers. After retiring from full-time teaching at the University of the Cumberlands, I taught adjunct courses for the education and music department there.
Family life:
Married 40+ years to Gary Gibson, who has been a pharmacist and is now a CPA retired from teaching business and economics classes at University of the Cumberlands.
Son Lee, who finished a doctorate in math at Cornell, has been a college professor and now works with The Infinite Actuary to design instruction for actuary exams. He provided me a great daughter-in-law who teaches music for Jefferson County Public Schools. They do a lot of church music activities. They have two musical girls.
Son Beau, who has a Rice University vocal music performance degree. Beau sang the lead
in Mozart's The Magic Flute in Rome, and I got to go hear him sing! Now he's
singing anywhere he can get a job - currently Frankfurt, Germany. He has a son and two daughters. Both my boys are great boys (and I
mean great - 6'3" and 6'4" respectively).
Church life:
Gary & I have been members of First Baptist Church, Venice, FL, Main Street Baptist Church in Williamsburg, Kentucky, Columbia Baptist, in Columbia, KY, Rosemont Baptist in Lexington, First Baptist Church in Harrogate, Tennessee, East Cumberland Baptist Church in Middlesboro, Kentucky, and Mitchell Wesleyan Church in South Dakota. In these churches God allowed me to work in the music programs, teach Sunday School, and work in Bible School. God is a strong presence in my life, and I want Him to get stronger in me every day.
Hobby life:
By now you can also probably tell I love fiddling with computers. But I also love to sew, crochet, garden, READ, and lay around on the couch and watch movies.