Last year I was supposed to only teach sixth. Then I was given the opportunity with younger grades 3rd marking period. I had a hard time with classroom management. How do you seat your classes on day 1? How do you assign jobs, where do you seat your self contained (inclusion) students? I’ll have 10 sections each of 4th and 5th. Since I started with 2-5th midway through the year, I felt like I had a hard time with behaviors, knowing who should sit next to each other. Any advice?

FTR I’m in my 40s and I have 3 teenagers at home.

My highschoolers have minimal experience or knowledge with clay. I’m thinking of starting with coil or pinch pots. As I get them started on that I want to split them up so half can throw on the wheel and the other half work on the hand building project and switch off every week. I don’t have enough wheels for everyone to throw at once. Any suggestions of going about this? Should I do more basic PowerPoints/introductions to tools and what clay is first or just dive right into building and throw terms in as I demo and create? Any resources like YouTube videos that might be helpful please send them!

My "School Smart" wooden handled synthetic brushes have seen better days. I ordered another type last year and they're not the same. Does anyone have a recommendation for good paintbrushes on a budget?

Its my first year teaching in an actual school (all my previous experience has been in after school)

School starts soon and im trying to decided which approach to take to create an environment where its not sitting in silence working on art but not too much noise that its distracting.

Ive tried both and in both cases the volume gradually gets too loud. I know part of the mistake I made with music was playing kids bop which ironically kids hate lol (at least in my experience kids older then Kindergarten or 1st grade get annoyed its not the "real" songs) Kids Bop is also alot of dance music and the vibe is just not chill at all lol

With conversation, after ive explained and demoed the project, I let them know they can talk among their selves at a low volume but it would gradually get loud (keep in mind this was afterschool ,theyve been school all day ,also that grades were mixed) I think the issue there is me not being clear about the noise levels and whats appropriate but also not all kids can talk and work at the same time and not much of thier project would get done .Which is why Im leaning toward finding a lofi music playlist so its not dead silent but also not sounding like a party.

Idk ,im curious to hear what works best for teachers who've been doing this for a while.

My room is echoey and amplifies sounds, especially talking. Any ideas for things (bought or student made) that I can hang on the wall to help with that?

Hello! I'm back with more screaming. Just found out that I will be teaching four sections of an "art and design" class. It was originally a graphic design class but the school would like the students to focus more of physical, functional work. I've requested to change the title to functional design. But school starts in two weeks and I have no curriculum! I need ideas. :-(

I'm thinking of doing a boardgame unit that will also have graphic design work.

One of my friends pointed out that it would be super cool to do something about how design has changed for the worse, especially as the school has a focus on engineering, *cough* *cough* cyber truck.

I'm kind of lost and overwhelmed.

I’m exhausted trying to keep up…. Planning is the worst. I have to over plan to not get behind. It should be “easy” with art but it’s not!

I also teach Montessori/ IB… I can plan good for one class then I lack with the others.

I love to make traditional art but it isn't the most ideal to rely on commissions or prints. I have a daughter and a husband and have been thinking about what I should do career-wise. Why I want to be a teacher is that I enjoy talking about beginner tips such as using line weight or other methods I learned in high school. I also find it as opportunity to grow more as an artist to be able to research new things on the side without having to worry about job security. I believe teaching would allow me to continue doing something I enjoy without worrying about job security. My concerns though surround the stigma around the stress and low pay that comes with being a teacher, and I believe art as a subject I heard of getting budget cuts. This isn't a commentary about the state of things but rather a question of whether should I still try or are my overall justifications for becoming a teacher very lacking? Another question I have is I don't have a degree and would be willing to go to a college, my question then would be should I major in education or major in art and get the teacher certification?

Does anyone have some fairly cheap/simple projects for an art club that meets weekly?

First year in art and admin wants me to do an art club (I’m fine with it, they’re super flexible about how often we meet and how long it goes).

Since it’s my first year, I want to start on the smaller side and then in future years I can do more if I feel I can handle it! But I also don’t know what the norm is for art clubs and don’t know any other art teachers in my district!

Hi art teachers,

As I’m sure many of you are aware, many school districts are facing budget shortfalls, specifically in my state of Texas. It sucks, and there has been a lot of chatter about cutting down on art/music time. I am the second hired art teacher at my elementary school so I am afraid my job will be cut next year. I have been with my school for 3 years now and have been teaching art for 7, so it’s heartbreaking imagining being ripped from my position that I love so much.

Although I don’t have any hard evidence of getting cut quite yet, I’m still trying to brace myself just in case. I have gotten cut in the past (my very first year!) and it sucked so bad. I’m a little shell shocked from that experience to be totally honest.

I guess what I’m wondering is… -has anyone been through something like this before? How did you adapt and move forward?

-I’m considering making myself open to general teaching positions within my school if I do get cut…has anyone transitioned from an art teacher to a homeroom teacher? Are there any ways I can prep to make myself a good candidate for this? I have all my certs for that, so legally I am already “able” to do that

This probably is going to come across as an anxiety ridden post, so I apologize, I just have a really poor experience that is currently fueling all of that anxiety I think. My husband and I just bought a house and have a young child and it’s just a lot for me to wrap my head around- I feel like I have a lot more to lose this time around 😭

Thank you in advance for any and all advice you might have!

Has anyone here done a parent teacher conference despite being a "specials" teacher? I'm art elementary so I feel as though it's probably uncommon for folks in my position to do conferences. However, I have some behaviors from certain students that are so severe and need to be addressed. I just had 3 kindergarteners come in screaming and yelling, running around during lesson and horseplaying, and shouting no to several instructions. They were resistant to gentle corrections, resistant to redirection and when none of that worked they were resistant to all levels of consequences. I even called parents while they were in class and they still did not correct behavior. I did have structured lesson planned that they interrupted. It was 45 minutes of chaos from them while they rest of the class sat quietly and watched. I documented it all but unfortunately admin is taking a back seat in their clsssroom assistance this year (they did not answer when I called) and they have told us they are not coming to classrooms unless there are literal brawls/ broken skin/blood- so I feel like an island dealing with misbehavior.

It's the second week of my third year and I want to nip it in the bud before it gets worse. I'm already feeling one foot out the door and that didn't help at all . Have any other art elementary teachers here done conferences or is that not really for us? I'm at a loss of what to do.

CA VA teachers: How is the prop 28 Rollout going? We have administrators who are supplanting site funds and I have no idea who to report it to. The funds are not supposed to replace site budgets but here we are. Anyone else seeing this? I am not surprised, just angry.

The job feels too good to be true. It's for the elementary in my zone where my home address is. I hope that if I do get hired there it will feel like family. The only thing I'm dreading is that I feel like I can no longer go to the grocery store in my pajamas because I will see students and their parents all the time. I have no experience working at an elementary, I only have high school and middle school experience but I think I would like to work at the elementary. I mean the little kids are so endearing. I just feel so rusty and I did a mock interview with my husband yesterday and it showed how terribly unprepared I am for this interview. The toughest question for me was " how do you differentiate in your classroom?" Can I please get some advise on how to answer this?

Hi! I’m a teen who wants to be an art teacher but I live in nyc. Are there any teachers who could tell me about their financial situation as a teacher living in an expensive city or area?

Like the caption said, I just accepted a job and the school year starts on Monday. It’s Wednesday night and I have “teacher training” 8-3 Thursday and Friday. How do I even begin?

I’m not sure how to decorate a classroom or if I even should as an art teacher as everything gets messy. I’m working with preK-2. What should I do for my first classes? I was thinking some sort of name game and decorating folders with names to keep student work in. Is that a good way to begin the year? I know it’s not very substantive, but it’s my first time meeting the students or being the owner of my own classroom!

I just finished my student teaching so every classroom I’ve been in has already had established rules and organization systems. I’m also more experienced with older age groups. Any advice for me to get started especially on such short notice? Any tidbit could help! Thanks a lot(:

First year HS art teacher in an alternative school for students with a high drop-out-risk. I previously taught a different HS subject. I'm currently teaching generic "art" classes, so I have a lot of flexibility. To support my 90-100 students, I have a $1500 budget available because the former teacher never put in her order for this year. As a result, I don't have much that's usable, and I have almost no art paper.

What I have (and everything I have is probably a couple years old):

tempura paints in the pump containers (quite a few, but I'll count tomorrow) on a related note, how much paint do you go through?

Colored pencils, crayola markers, old paper materials for collage, scissors, a couple brayers, gross-but-usable oil pastels, sharpies, fine-tipped ink pens

If this was your budget, what are your must haves and staples?

Hi all! I'm a first year middle school art teacher and we started lesson planning during PD today. I teach on a quarter system, so I have students for about 40 days and then I get new students. At first, I was going to do elements of art as units and then a final project that combines them, but my coach suggested that might be too much and not enough time. I liked it, though, because there were already tons of materials made for it.

Now I am doing world art, with units on American art, aboriginal, eastern, etc. However, I can't seem to find preexisting materials and am having to make all the PowerPoints from scratch. Each day I'm thinking of doing a lecture then work time for students to try out what they learned, with a class project at the end of each unit. I think I'll be able to do at least the first two units by start of the year.

Does anyone else have any other 6-8th grade unit ideas that can fit in just a quarter of the school year before I get too deep in creating lesson plans for my current idea? Or should I keep going with it? Thanks so much!!!

I made a post before how about how stressed I am with teaching, lesson planning, and bad behavior. But today I just had my first day of art on a cart at a different school. It was worse than I could have imagined. At least at my base school, I have a classroom and they know they are stepping into my space. The kids at this other school do not respect me or my rules. I am less than a sub to them. They have a full time art teacher, and I am here for PD days which is a trash day to do take home art. They didn't even hire me. I was forced to because my other school had lost grades and is down to 2 per grade (14 in total). Every Wednesday, I teach two clubs of 4th and 5th and the kids do not respect my rules. I sit in the cafeteria with them with no phone, walkie, or any way to contact anyone. I just have to hope they listen. Well today, I had three boys elope and come back many minutes later. Of course I talked with them on the side and we talked about following rules and why they aren't drawing today. But I feel so hopeless. I'm already struggling with my own classes.. please give me hope. I don't want to leave before the year if over let alone within the first couple weeks. I cry every night my depression is getting worse. does it ever get better???

Hi y’all, I have a first grader this year who is allergic to:

Eggs Soy Wheat Nuts Barley Beans Peas Rye Basil

I’ve been all over the internet trying to find specific allergen info for the supplies in my classroom. Does anyone have any info to help me find safe paint, crayons, and clay for the kiddo?

Thanks in advance! I appreciate you!

Im currently looking at an online program that's 30 hours, at a state school. It's not UGA or the University of Florida, but it's nearby and familiar

Today was class reorganizing day. It was the first day for staff. This is my first year as an art teacher. I was given a 5,000 budget in may and I curated a well thought out list e a variety of things from blicks and amazon. There were some amazon packages today and NOT ONE item was from my list. It looks like someone just bought a bunch of bullshit art supplies like mini easels and chalky paints i didn’t even have on the list. My room needs organizing items which were also on the list.

I am so ANGRY! I cried so much this evening and feel so disrespected. I wanted my students to have meaningful projects and get to use good materials that I chose. I don’t know what to do

Hi! I’m an art ed student in college and as I’m working toward my degree classes are beginning to separate into the categories of elementary vs secondary. I’m very indecisive on what interests me most. I’ve worked in classrooms with elementary middle and high school through substitute teaching but there’s pros and cons to both younger kids and older kids. Did anyone else struggle with this? What helped you decide what age level fit best? What are the pos and cons of little kids vs older kids in the art room?

We have a very very very talkative kinder group and the most talkative 4th grade (mind there are about 34 so makes sense ) What do y’all use to get attention… I’ve been doing clapping and ringing a bell i have and the occasional random singing moments …. that sometimes work but what has been your solid way i can get them to listen without yelling and sounding mean

I currently teach pre-k special education. I loooove teaching art whenever I get to in our curriculum, particularly process art, and seeing my kids experience the joy of creating something and especially my non-speaking kids getting to express themselves is literally the best thing ever. I've decided that my long term career goal is to create an inclusive art program for my community so that everyone can share in that joy. To do that I feel like I need a more formal art education, but I am having a hard time finding a master's program for art education that doesn't require a bachelor's in art. Any leads or advice is greatly appreciated!

I am entering my third year in undergrad and realized this summer that I think I want to go into education. I looked into programs at my university and found that the art teaching program is 4 years with a k-12 certification. At the moment, I am declared as a BA in English, which would take me only two years to complete. I'm feeling so lost because I feel called to a direction, art, that feels impractical with where I am at credits wise, not to mention the narrow nature of the degree. Could anyone offer any insights? I've researched other programs but feel so overwhelmed at the options. What are the steps I could take towards art teaching if I kept on with the English degree, and how reasonable is that path? I am in Utah for reference.

I miss my old teammates. My new ones are very negative and just talk about how great they are a lot. They even talk about how welcoming they have been, which is funny because I don’t feel super welcomed or included. I don’t feel unwelcome or excluded, but compared to my last two teams, this is the least welcomed and included I’ve felt lol. Just trying to figure out how to remain positive in such a negative environment. It is hard to stay away from it totally because it is a very team-oriented team (i.e. it is basically expected that we all eat lunch together daily). I honestly wonder how negative it actually is or if I was just spoiled by my first two teams. They were both such supportive, kind, and welcoming teams who had such good things to say about the people on my current team. Then day 1 of this team and they’re just talking shit about all my old teammates and for ridiculous things too. They’re just such shit talkers and they really act like their shit doesn’t stink, and I don’t jive with people like that. Ugh. Idk I guess I’m just venting, but if you have any tips on remaining positive while also not totally excluding myself from the team and making things awkward, I would appreciate that. I really like the school, admin and students and it’s convenient to my house. I also don’t have the option to go back to my old teams because numbers changed and there isn’t room for me at either place now :/ gotta try to make this work for at least one more year.

Grading … First year teacher and legitimately don’t understand the grading process /what to use I already feel like i’ve been spending so much time at work What do y’all do that’s easy and fast

Unsure if it’s just a me thing i’ve been going to work an hour early to prep … using my 1 hour conference then staying after school for 2 hours … I spend more time at work then at home and even when im at work im lesson planning …. WILL THIS STOP AFTER THE FIRST YEAR i feel so stressed