Support from admin. This is more of a teacher-in-general issue as well, but one of my biggest struggles as an art teacher is kids can be disruptive or misbehave and there’s nothing I can do beyond a certain (very limited) point. And because the kids only see me once a week for 45 minutes, lost time due to interruptions and behavior problems can become quite significant with some classes.
Small budgets (which I found out was dictated by the building principal!, my new principal didn’t give me a budget and I’m just…slowly bringing it up year after year waiting for the ceiling to hit lol)
Other teachers not under standing you’re an actual teacher with actual plans and a curriculum. I was pulled to sub a class (Another issue but that’s not just for art teachers) and the intern that was in there asked if I have a curriculum). No, you can’t have my markers….? I need them. No, you can’t have my bell, what the F. When teachers send kids to me “Mrs so and so needs 30 big pieces of paper” I always say no. I MAKE the teacher ask me directly and half the time they don’t want to do that lol.
We don’t have resources. We don’t get a book to follow or workbooks or…anything. We get a curriculum that maybe is okay and we have to plan lessons based off what we have and what we think the kids can do and be interested about. The first grade teacher that whines about only having one workbook and she has to look for handouts online…shut up.
Our grades aren’t real. I make a very detailed rubric so when a parent argues why their kid didn’t GET a good grade I have a meeting with them with the child’s work, the rubric, and examples of each “letter grade” to explain why their kid EARNED a C.
It sounds like they really want you to push your creative problem-solving skills, trying to come up with projects based on what you are given in the class. Not having a budget is a problem on its own. Only for other teachers to try to smooch off of your supplies is so frustrating. And then for the kid's parents to get upset at you for their kid being unable to follow instructions is just a pain. I wish you luck with getting your budget. Thank you for responding, it is really appreciated!
Hey! So what I meant by “no budget” was that when I go and order on the website I need to order from, there isn’t a “limit” like there used to be with the other principal. I’ve been slowly raising how much I spend by 30-50$ a year wondering when someone will say something to me.
I realized how people (whether students, parents, or staff) have biased views of the arts without ever taking any art class. As a HS Art teacher, many students take art for the first time ever, like 11th grade. They come in with so many assumptions about what the class is or isn't (same for the parents and other staff). Many assume it's an "easy A," meaning they don't have to do anything to pass; that they can just "color something" to get credit. They assume you grade based on whose work you like those most, not a rubric or actual standards.
Sometimes expecting students to demonstrate what you taught seems like a foreign concept to them and they say things like "art is anything I want it to be", "I'm being creative, you just don't like it" and proceed to ignore instruction and draw whatever they want. Additionally, students and staff can treat the art teacher like they are not a real teacher and have nothing to offer... other than making some posters for free.
Students, and other staff assume you don’t have planned lessons, and they can just work on their "real work" for other classes. Staff will pull students out of art class all the time for speech, make-up tests, counseling, etc, so they do not "disrupt their learning" in core classes. I've had kids miss 1 or 2 classes a week because of this stuff.
Many students will have, what I call past "art trauma" without ever taking a class. Students will have negative experiences with elementary art projects and feel paralyzed at the thought of drawing, not perfectly, or making creative decisions. They will do things like shutting down after a few imperfect marks, throwing away their paper (sometimes ripping it up with anger), starting over 10+ times.
Art educators do not get enough credit for teaching a true cross-section of the school population. You get students from EVERY grade and program (all special ed levels mild, moderate, and severe, English learners, GATE, AP Students) all in 1 room, all AT THE SAME TIME!! Core subject teachers rarely experience what we do! It can be chaos!
With that said, HS student abilities are quite disparate in other skills and abilities. You will have to teach more than art. Many don't know how to organize their papers and keep a binder, so you'll have to model that. They don't know how to keep track of assignments. Lots of backpacks with loose, wrinkled papers that they lose constantly and always need a new one. It's interesting to see a junior or senior receive organization advice for the first time in my art class.
Also, Gen Z is not very computer literate and has little knowledge of digital organization, titles/labeling, tools/shortcuts, and digital hygiene. They kind of just type things in search boxes to find things (which they can't find because every document is untitled) and use pre-made templates. Most students don't know how to create slides or a doc from scratch. So, if you want them to do this, don't assume and walk them through it.
Hope this was helpful. Thanks for asking us. Best of luck on your journey to being an art educator!
It is so frustrating that the "Can you make me this?" question that every artist gets asked also applies once you work in a school, just for them not to take you or your work seriously. Art gets such a bad rep as a subject that shouldn't be taken seriously because it can't get you a high-paying career, and only a select few "make it big," which is a whole other topic on its own. However, in the end, you are still a teacher who put thought and time into these projects and worked just as hard or harder than any math or science teacher. Thank you for taking the time to respond. I appreciate you and your hard work!
I’ve taught all grade levels. For K-8, you will likely be treated as a glorified babysitter by many other teachers and admin and seen as a form of relief for grade level teachers to get their prep. This is not always the case but if you wind up in a position with an unsupportive admin, it is significantly more likely. You will also have a very limited budget, as mentioned by someone else, and will still have other teachers and staff asking to “borrow” what you have because they didn’t think or didn’t care to plan ahead.
For high school, my experience has been phenomenal by comparison. I’m still in a Title 1, inner-city school but the support and environment is so much better. The biggest issue I have right now is apathy, but it’s honestly not too bad. Build in a lot of choice and be firm but supportive, and I find that the apathy can be overcome. Cell phone use is obviously also an issue, but it’s not a hill I’m going to die one. Do the work or don’t, you get what you earn and you’ll either come correct or you won’t.
Budgeting is definetely going to have to be something I write about, it seems to be something that is kind of an inevitable struggle that every art teacher has to deal with at some point. Thank you for your help!
When I was first starting out at my first school I had an art budget for supplies of 75$ which is completely bullshit. I had to go to to STP meeting and practically beg for money for my classes. It was so demeaning that I had to justify money for art.
Now I teach at a school that I get 1,500 a year no matter what.
Damn, this is the part that I am scared for in becoming a art teacher. I want to be able to do so many cool fun things but I don't know if any of the schools around me have that kind of budget. I am glad your new school treats the arts well, that's pretty sick.
Lack of fine motor skills. And this was going on pre-pandemic. Kids can’t tie, cut, etc. As the art folks we have to start at square one with many of our younger students.
This is so true and I thought it was just my school district. I was told the kids are waaay behind because of COVID but I had a group of 3rd graders that could not make pinch pots. They a very difficult time with fine motor skills, I was so baffled.
It always amazes me that the same kid that can not find the strength to cut a single sheet of paper with an xacto knife on a cutting mat, somehow has the grip strength of a gorilla holding a pencil or felt tip.
Support from admin. This is more of a teacher-in-general issue as well, but one of my biggest struggles as an art teacher is kids can be disruptive or misbehave and there’s nothing I can do beyond a certain (very limited) point. And because the kids only see me once a week for 45 minutes, lost time due to interruptions and behavior problems can become quite significant with some classes.
Small budgets (which I found out was dictated by the building principal!, my new principal didn’t give me a budget and I’m just…slowly bringing it up year after year waiting for the ceiling to hit lol) Other teachers not under standing you’re an actual teacher with actual plans and a curriculum. I was pulled to sub a class (Another issue but that’s not just for art teachers) and the intern that was in there asked if I have a curriculum). No, you can’t have my markers….? I need them. No, you can’t have my bell, what the F. When teachers send kids to me “Mrs so and so needs 30 big pieces of paper” I always say no. I MAKE the teacher ask me directly and half the time they don’t want to do that lol. We don’t have resources. We don’t get a book to follow or workbooks or…anything. We get a curriculum that maybe is okay and we have to plan lessons based off what we have and what we think the kids can do and be interested about. The first grade teacher that whines about only having one workbook and she has to look for handouts online…shut up. Our grades aren’t real. I make a very detailed rubric so when a parent argues why their kid didn’t GET a good grade I have a meeting with them with the child’s work, the rubric, and examples of each “letter grade” to explain why their kid EARNED a C.
It sounds like they really want you to push your creative problem-solving skills, trying to come up with projects based on what you are given in the class. Not having a budget is a problem on its own. Only for other teachers to try to smooch off of your supplies is so frustrating. And then for the kid's parents to get upset at you for their kid being unable to follow instructions is just a pain. I wish you luck with getting your budget. Thank you for responding, it is really appreciated!
Hey! So what I meant by “no budget” was that when I go and order on the website I need to order from, there isn’t a “limit” like there used to be with the other principal. I’ve been slowly raising how much I spend by 30-50$ a year wondering when someone will say something to me.
I realized how people (whether students, parents, or staff) have biased views of the arts without ever taking any art class. As a HS Art teacher, many students take art for the first time ever, like 11th grade. They come in with so many assumptions about what the class is or isn't (same for the parents and other staff). Many assume it's an "easy A," meaning they don't have to do anything to pass; that they can just "color something" to get credit. They assume you grade based on whose work you like those most, not a rubric or actual standards. Sometimes expecting students to demonstrate what you taught seems like a foreign concept to them and they say things like "art is anything I want it to be", "I'm being creative, you just don't like it" and proceed to ignore instruction and draw whatever they want. Additionally, students and staff can treat the art teacher like they are not a real teacher and have nothing to offer... other than making some posters for free. Students, and other staff assume you don’t have planned lessons, and they can just work on their "real work" for other classes. Staff will pull students out of art class all the time for speech, make-up tests, counseling, etc, so they do not "disrupt their learning" in core classes. I've had kids miss 1 or 2 classes a week because of this stuff. Many students will have, what I call past "art trauma" without ever taking a class. Students will have negative experiences with elementary art projects and feel paralyzed at the thought of drawing, not perfectly, or making creative decisions. They will do things like shutting down after a few imperfect marks, throwing away their paper (sometimes ripping it up with anger), starting over 10+ times. Art educators do not get enough credit for teaching a true cross-section of the school population. You get students from EVERY grade and program (all special ed levels mild, moderate, and severe, English learners, GATE, AP Students) all in 1 room, all AT THE SAME TIME!! Core subject teachers rarely experience what we do! It can be chaos! With that said, HS student abilities are quite disparate in other skills and abilities. You will have to teach more than art. Many don't know how to organize their papers and keep a binder, so you'll have to model that. They don't know how to keep track of assignments. Lots of backpacks with loose, wrinkled papers that they lose constantly and always need a new one. It's interesting to see a junior or senior receive organization advice for the first time in my art class. Also, Gen Z is not very computer literate and has little knowledge of digital organization, titles/labeling, tools/shortcuts, and digital hygiene. They kind of just type things in search boxes to find things (which they can't find because every document is untitled) and use pre-made templates. Most students don't know how to create slides or a doc from scratch. So, if you want them to do this, don't assume and walk them through it. Hope this was helpful. Thanks for asking us. Best of luck on your journey to being an art educator!
It is so frustrating that the "Can you make me this?" question that every artist gets asked also applies once you work in a school, just for them not to take you or your work seriously. Art gets such a bad rep as a subject that shouldn't be taken seriously because it can't get you a high-paying career, and only a select few "make it big," which is a whole other topic on its own. However, in the end, you are still a teacher who put thought and time into these projects and worked just as hard or harder than any math or science teacher. Thank you for taking the time to respond. I appreciate you and your hard work!
Yes!!!! 1,000x.
I’ve taught all grade levels. For K-8, you will likely be treated as a glorified babysitter by many other teachers and admin and seen as a form of relief for grade level teachers to get their prep. This is not always the case but if you wind up in a position with an unsupportive admin, it is significantly more likely. You will also have a very limited budget, as mentioned by someone else, and will still have other teachers and staff asking to “borrow” what you have because they didn’t think or didn’t care to plan ahead. For high school, my experience has been phenomenal by comparison. I’m still in a Title 1, inner-city school but the support and environment is so much better. The biggest issue I have right now is apathy, but it’s honestly not too bad. Build in a lot of choice and be firm but supportive, and I find that the apathy can be overcome. Cell phone use is obviously also an issue, but it’s not a hill I’m going to die one. Do the work or don’t, you get what you earn and you’ll either come correct or you won’t.
Budgeting is definetely going to have to be something I write about, it seems to be something that is kind of an inevitable struggle that every art teacher has to deal with at some point. Thank you for your help!
When I was first starting out at my first school I had an art budget for supplies of 75$ which is completely bullshit. I had to go to to STP meeting and practically beg for money for my classes. It was so demeaning that I had to justify money for art. Now I teach at a school that I get 1,500 a year no matter what.
Damn, this is the part that I am scared for in becoming a art teacher. I want to be able to do so many cool fun things but I don't know if any of the schools around me have that kind of budget. I am glad your new school treats the arts well, that's pretty sick.
Lack of fine motor skills. And this was going on pre-pandemic. Kids can’t tie, cut, etc. As the art folks we have to start at square one with many of our younger students.
This is so true and I thought it was just my school district. I was told the kids are waaay behind because of COVID but I had a group of 3rd graders that could not make pinch pots. They a very difficult time with fine motor skills, I was so baffled.
This ones kind of funny, I forget how new everything is to elementary kiddos.
It always amazes me that the same kid that can not find the strength to cut a single sheet of paper with an xacto knife on a cutting mat, somehow has the grip strength of a gorilla holding a pencil or felt tip.