I have my teaching certificate but I just moved to a new state so I’m working on getting it here too. As I wait, I am suffocated by anxiety. I’m working on my perfectionist tendencies that DONT work with teaching. I also had a horrible student-teaching experience at a challenging title 1 school. Can you all please offer me some words of wisdom? Anything! Something I can take with me and use as a brand new teacher? (I fear lack of support or knowing wth I’m doing, even after 2 semesters of training). TYIA 🙏💜

Think outside the frame.

Nothing you already buy with the department budget or are required to purchase through the school.

Maybe things you buy for school but, come out of your own pocket.

Something parents, other teachers and staff will notice.

My 13 year old niece is into junk and found art - she’ll take whatever is around, mix up her own concoctions, and create art out of it.

So, I’m looking for gift ideas in this vein. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thank you!

What do you do about students that draw one line on a paper , say they messed up, they immediately crumble up their paper and get a new one.

We work in pencil first and I tell them to erase it, but so many students refuse. If I don’t let them get a new paper, they literally will not continue the project, some of them steal paper behind my back. I’m not trying to be a paper guard, but supplies are expensive.

Any advice?

I'm a first year teacher and I feel like required participation in shows adversely affects my teaching.

I'm sure other people do great with it, obviously! But it puts so much pressure on me that I don't feel like I'm focusing as much on the education part, and skipping over more tedious exercises that would be a good foundation for their skills to make better projects. I just always feel so pressured by time! And they aren't producing anything show-worthy yet anyway. I only have 4 weeks left of this semester, and have to do a show immediately at the start of January. I'm also now the only art teacher when there used to ? 2 experienced ones.

Anyone else feel this way?

Any ideas for super fast and easy projects with high payoff? What we're all hoping for, I know. Lol.

I teach 1st-6th grade. We already already did a lot of winter and I am running out of ideas.

What are you doing in your classroom?

I took a pretty lousy first job, but hey, it's a foot in the door. It's a tk-5 elementary school which are my favorite ages. The only problem I'm having is there are so many restrictions on materials.

• On a cart, so it has to be highly portable
• I do not have a classroom. I push into their classrooms.
• 35 minute classes so it has to be short with very little set up and fast clean up.
• there are no sinks in classrooms. So washing up or cleaning is a challenge to put it lightly.
• This essentially eliminates painting because filling and emptying water and cleaning brushes is impossible in that time frame.
• I also can't bring in wet wipes (students were flushing them down the toilets?!) and I brought in a spray bottle with soapy water but students are doing dangerous things like spraying each other in the eyes with it. So, we can't even clean.
• Scissors are off limits in many classes. Too many kids that have made threats on themselves or others that it's a safety issue.

Here is what I HAVE done:

• Oil pastels (kids just have to deal with their oily hands and wash at recess)
• Tempera sticks
• model magic (it's expensive, though)
• print making with presto foam (again they just have to deal with their messy hands)
• yarn weaving
• drawing with pencils, both graphite and also color pencils
• stamps with ink pads
• origami
• drawing comics and illustrating stories
• paper bag puppets
• aluminum repousse

Any other ideas you might have that are low mess and no scissors?

I just got done with a grid drawing unit and it was TORTURE for everyone in my Art1 classes. I just want to do fun things between now and Christmas…what do they think is fun? (I know the obvious answer is to just let them play on their phones, but my soul won’t allow it…)

my budget is teensy and i really want my kids to use the tempera cakes the problem is i can’t seem to find low budget paper help

Hello everyone! Happy Thanksgiving and I hope you're doing well!

I've combed through similar posts on the process of becoming an art teacher, but generally the poster has some existing degree. In my situation, I have never been to college before, I've just recently turned 30 y/o, and while I have a passion for all things related to art & creativity, teaching & training, kids (and even psychology), I've only worked in a medical setting for the past 8 years. Prior to really discovering myself and my wants & needs, I genuinely had no idea what I wanted a career in. The thought of being an art educator for children, is something that makes me feel that pure excitement I've been longing for.

I'd like to ask what route you had taken or are taking as an art education professional. From the beginning, what you would recommend for someone highly interested in entering this field? From entry position ideas, education routes & requirements, any information you can provide that you feel would be helpful for my current position (or for anyone starting from the beginning).

I appreciate any guidance or input you can give me! . . Edit (11/28): Thank you so very much for all of the input, suggestions, and information you had taken the time to give me. I have a much clearer idea of the general requirements, but I will look into the specific requirements of my state (MD). I also greatly appreciate the suggestions of volunteering or seeking opportunities not only as an entry-level point, but to dip my feet in the water before pursuing a full-on degree.

I'd like to ask a few other questions, more so about your experience. I noticed a few specific reactions in the comments ("Don't do it 😭" 😉) that definitely piqued my curiosity further.

I'm specifically looking to teach elementary education, at least in my personal life, I feel that I'm a bit more comfortable around children in those age groups but I'd be open to middle school education as well. Now for those questions,

What grade ranges have you taught (K-12, Elementary, Middle, or High)? What did/do you like & dislike about teaching with each grade? I'm unsure how to articulate this but...have you always wanted to teach, or did you change careers along the line? Right now, I guess I'm looking for more of an insight based on your personal experiences, as in how you pursued this career path, if you had/have any passions or interests that guided you towards it, and how your expectations matched with reality.

Hi Everyone

My wife (long term experienced teacher) has just added art teaching to her box of tricks. She's a biology/sport-PE teacher but is also a long time hobby artist and potter and after some years of workshops and extra trainings has now also joined the art faculty at her high school.

Right now she's working with 11 year olds.

Can any of you think of anything you would have liked or that would have made your art teaching lives easier in your early days? I'm looking to fill out my Christmas shopping list for her - she's a very practical girl so anything she can use in the classroom would be appreciated.

many thanks

I, like many of us probably have, inherited an art closet full of random crap. I have about a case of this Crayola Model Clay. It hasn't completely hardened, but it is too hard to work with, especially the kids. Has anyone has success with softening this clay? Id hate for it to go to waste. Similarly, i have 3 boxes of unopened Model Magic that has also somewhat dried. Can that be revived? I imagine that would be harder to do.

Hey all! So I’m still working on my certification, but I decided to apply for some jobs when I saw a few art positions open up in my desired district. I got hired as an elementary art teacher and I started last week!

Now, here comes the issues. I was, of course, thrown into the middle of this with very little preparation or help. I’ve never taught before, just substituted for about three years. I have to say I’m completely overwhelmed, but I really want to try and figure this out. I am teaching pre-k through 5th, roughly around 500 students in total. (I see each class (45 min) once a week except fridays are different).

I’ve been spending the entirety of my thanksgiving break trying to come up with lesson plans. I have a rough outline of what I want to do when school starts up again, but after that I’m lost. I really just need some resources to get lesson plans ideas from. As of right now, all my research online just comes up with a bunch of 5 minute crafts that don’t seem educational in the slightest, or it’s something that I have to pay for and I really cannot afford that at the moment. Any advice and encouragement to not spiral into a panic is also welcome 🫠 thank you all in advance.

Help! I have a prospective job where I see k-5 students 4 days a week! I am used to seeing elementary for one day a week for 30 minutes. I need help with lesson ideas that can take the 1-3 weeks that can be engaging for students that young.

I have a larger background in 6-12. So this is daunting! I am also going into this position with NO previous curriculum!

I’m wondering about ideas for employment for someone with an MFA if teaching doesn’t end up happening. My husband has an MFA in painting and is about to start his first adjuncting gig. He also teaches continuing education classes at our local art museum and online through an art school. He sells paintings every year since graduating (2012) but that’s never guaranteed. He can make $10k-$40k from paintings, but again never guaranteed. He’s so hopeful that a full time job will happen but I’m not so sure, especially after reading some Reddit threads! I know how competitive teaching jobs can be. What in the world do people with MFA’s do if they can’t land a teaching job?! We are both kinda stressed about it and it’s a sore subject talking about an alternative with him. Even teaching public school would be difficult because he doesn’t have a teaching certificate. That would require taking art education classes and student teaching. He’s about to be 40 and we have 2 kids and I don’t think not working and going back to school will be possible. We are moving to the suburbs of Philly soon which has many universities but that also brings a lot of competition. Any insight into this situation would be appreciated.

I just got accepted to graduate school for Art Ed. Thank you to everyone in this sub who inspired me and guided me to make this decision. I can't wait to contribute to this community!

I work for a PBS Station (I’m a former art teacher), and I recently wrote a grant to fund an art contest with cash prizes… We had a lot of impressive entries, BUT some which clearly were just created because the teacher required it - sloppy, wrinkled stained paper, etc.

We are going to be hanging a show in our lobby of this student art and I just wasn’t sure- should I reserve the right to just hang the pieces that actually showed effort? I don’t want any of the kids to show up to our reception hoping to see their pieces displayed and be sad that they’re not up. (We did also have a Vitruvian Man reproduction submitted with very realistic and prominent male genitalia.. which might be awkward to include…)

Any advice is appreciated

I teach art at an after-school art school. I have a 6/7 year old student who is very gifted in a lot of ways, but she only likes to draw kawaii characters, and everytime I try to show them a new art technique she has no patience and doesn’t listen to instruction and does her own thing.

Last week we did colorful watercolour clouds, and I was showing the students various watercolour techniques. She wasn’t listening to me, using a large paintbrush, not paying attention to painting inside of the sketch lines, not bleeding the paint etc.

She didn’t like her outcome, and had an absolute meltdown/tantrum. I tried explain to her that mistakes are how we learn, and we are here to have fun and experiment and try new things, but she said she wanted her painting to be nice and she then destroyed it by painting over it with thick brown paint and scrunching it up.

No matter what I told her she just kept getting more upset and defiant. I don’t know how to handle this type of situation because I went to art school and not education.

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Hi everyone! I’m looking for advice on the best academic path for my career goals. My ultimate goal is to become a high school art teacher, and later on, transition to teaching at the college level as well. I’m considering two possible paths and would love some input.

The first option is to earn a bachelor’s degree in art education, complete the credential program to become a high school art teacher, and then pursue a master’s in art education after securing a teaching job. The second option is to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in graphic design, complete the credential program, and then pursue a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in graphic design after getting a teaching position.

I’m leaning toward earning a master’s degree not only because it might help me transition into teaching at the college level, but also in the hopes that it could lead to a pay raise while teaching high school.

A little more context: I’m planning to apply for the animation program at my college. However, if that doesn’t work out, my backup plan is to focus on becoming an art teacher.

Given my goals, which path do you think would better suit me? I’d really appreciate any insights or advice! Thank you!

I'm so sick and tired of the bullshitting that kids do. I've entered my second year of teaching in MS and have started to get experience/get to know my students better. One thing I'm noticing is that a lot of the students that I was giving a lot of grace to (because I thought they had a hard time in school and thus I didn't push them as much) are actually little angels in other classes, and I'm not sure how to call them out on it.

For example: I have a class write artist statements for an end of term assignment. One student writes in incomplete sentences. I tell him to go back and revise the artist statement to be in complete sentences. It ends up taking him two 45 minute classes to write one paragraph. I recognize that I am not an English teacher and maybe this kid has a history of struggling with writing so I go talk to the English teacher about what they typically do to help this student succeed. Wouldn't you know it? English teacher looks at me like I'm crazy and says they have never had a problem with that student writing essays.

It's so frustrating. I was invited by the history teacher to give a lesson to the 7th grade in history class about how to look at imagery and art (see, think, wonder) and I was so ready for it to be a struggle for them. I got graphic organizers made and an in depth presentation and questions set up for very very basic concepts because I had tried this out before in art class with these very students and they couldn't engage with the material seriously. I walk into the history classroom to teach the lesson and the kids knock the whole lesson out of the park. I'm talking asking insightful questions, actually filling out the graphic organizers well, making excellent conclusions. I was amazed.

I'm just frustrated because I'm realizing this is all a sign that kids just don't engage in art class seriously at any level. It's all a sign of them consider art to be a goof off class where they can just play dumb. I don't know if its controversial, but art class to me is more than a second recess. Art class can be insightful and interesting and holistic and meditative and curiousity-led. And yes they can also talk with friends quietly while they work. But students instead use that time to make messes, yell across the room, pretend like they don't know what I'm talking about, or (the worst) throw a project together in 5 minutes just to say they did it and spend the rest of the time horsing around. Not to mention they're so mean to each other and call each other really nasty names when they have that kind of freedom. I just want some level of engagement. Something.

And the infuriating part is I KNOW they are capable of engagement because I see it from them in other classes. That I think is the most frustrating part.

So I guess TLDR: Does anyone have any advice for shifting my classroom/school culture about art class? Or if you think what I'm describing is a different problem, what is it? I know whatever the answer is won't be immediate. I just would love some tips regardless.

Normally I'd like to think I'm pretty open to feedback and tips to help me in the classroom but since I'm in a scruffle with admin I've noticed I went from under the radar to apparently having awful scores and being given task upon task to implement. I was put on a PIP out of what felt like the blue and while had a solid rebuttal for 85% of the document I went along with it but again it feels like they are more concerned with me compying vs what makes sense. How can I trust your coaching/ leadership when you often express you have NO IDEA what I do or how to teach it? I've been called disorganized meanwhile the school systems are disorganized and everybody knows this even the kids so how are you improving as admin and following by example? They have issue with kids getting up to grab materials and suggest I preset supplies which I do but realistically I have 2 mins for transition and the next class is always 5 mins early then i'm in trouble for having them waiting and not watching them. Then they changed it and suggested having a table lead grab supplies which takes up too much time because class is only 45 mins. To me it feels disorganized and rushed because of the schedule i'm asked to abide by that will have 3 classes in a row NO PREP no breather. It just feels like i'm being gaslit but it's hard to tell because I've never been able to see a proper seasoned ART TEACHER in their element from start to finish. I love what I do but I'm not sure if I'm not a fit for the school system or I just need to get certified and see how it's done in public (i've only taught at charters) but there must be a reason there's crazy turnover for the arts in charters specifically. Anybody out there that can mentor or show me some visuals of what makes an effective art class? By the way many classes are inclusion so there's another hurdle but I get by solo for the most part. I just hate feeling like I'm being given busy work and missing coaching catered to my subject matter.

Hi, I’m doing a mono print lesson soon. And I’m looking for an artist to based the lesson around. A lot of the artists I’m finishing mainly practice other things so it’s hard to find videos or anything about them that talk about their mono print work and their life at the same time rather than mainly their other work. Any suggestions or resources would be mega helpful.

Hello! I recently graduated from college and started working as an art teacher at a private art studio. I mostly work with children between the ages of 4-7 years old.

I majored in illustration in school so in terms of specifically art education, I don’t really know where to look at for further resources. I have worked with kids for a while now though, so that helps. Still, I would like to become a better educator.

If you have any book or resources recommendations for me I’d really appreciate the help. Thank you!

Hello all. Do any of you have any recommendations on books I can read about tab? I want to become more TAB centered but I struggle because I have 30 min back to back classes and I am not very organized to begin with …. I’m sure there is a way! Thank you.

Hello! I went to a kids' event once and they had a whole room full of cardboard boxes, with tons of these sturdy all-plastic, kid-safe serrated cardboard cutters. They were awesome! The kids could saw through the cardboard and make so many more creative sculptures and constructions! But the blade was just serrated sturdy plastic, so they couldn't get hurt. I have been searching online to try to order some for my upper elementary architecture unit at the end of the year, and all I can find are "deluxe" versions with a lot of extra bells and whistles, way too expensive to buy a small set for the classroom. I'm just looking for the simple cheaper-looking version that looks like a knife, but with a serrated plastic blade. Any leads?

Hey! Thanks for those who replied yesterday. I did my demo lesson and it went well!

I ended up looking into Surrealism with the students. We did a warm up of automatic drawing, and then I created surrealist prompt cards that had three random words on them (eg. Meteor, rocking chair, water dragon). With a partner they had to draw a dreamscape with those three things on it. I had a few students share their work at the end.

The students were engaged and enjoyed the lesson, the assessing staff seemed happy with how it went as well.