1. I swear my first period class is so anxious for school to be over, I’m seeing more and more disciplinary problems:

    -One of my seniors wanted to argue with me, in front of the entire class, about extra credit points. He wouldn’t agree when I told him that I would speak to him after class.

    -When one student asked, casually, what I do for fun, another student blurted out loud, “She does nothing.” Then when I spoke to her later, every reply was tainted with attitude.

    -Another student (not sure who) decided to change my note on the white board (“see Ms. J when you are ready for paint”) to “see Mr. J when you are ready for paint.”

    -A couple of my freshmen seem to be regressing in maturity, constantly calling out my name for attention, and then whining about it to their tablemates when I don’t respond to them right away (but I can hear it all). I spoken to them several times about this in the past and they can’t seem to be able to wait their turn.

    We have 3 more weeks. 6 more classes.

    How do I get a handle on this???

  2. :)

    I just got an interview for another school within my district for a possible art position…If I get this job, I would still be split between two schools but with more classes at one school than the other…This would be better than I have currently.

    I haven’t prepped AT ALL for interviews since last summer. My portfolio is not even updated! The interview’s going to happen after school this Friday…other than a resume and a couple examples of lesson materials, any suggestions on what I should bring?

  3. We have a minimum day schedule today and tomorrow, and they’re always the craziest for me. Especially for tomorrow.

    We have all 3 classes consecutively with no break in between, and I teach in 3 different room, so I have to roll my cart (with papers, projects, etc) to each room. And then pressure the regular teacher to quickly log off her computer so I can log on and do roll, etc.

    And I still end up spending 3-4 hours grading afterwards. (This is to avoid taking any grading home.)

    Omg, let’s get this over with!

  4. Since we’re past Spring Break now, lots of my students are getting lazyyyyyy with their artwork. They’ve started asking me, “Can I be done?”

    Of course I explain what they’re still missing and some of them choose to just receive the lower grade. It’s my 3D class that has it really bad right now; some of the students are getting lazy with their creativity!

    Please tell me this is normal at the end of every April….

    We’ve got one large project left in both my 2D and 3D art classes….and I’m tempted to require them to work on it until the day it’s due. So no one could turn it in before the due date.

  5. image

    Thank you for the ideas! :)

    I did visit OSH today asking about those wooden paint mixers, but the guy in the paint department didn’t want to give them to me for free…unless I bought paint.

    I am unfamiliar with the “mountain method” (or maybe I am and just don’t know what the term means). However I’ve read that it’s not a good idea for students to mix the plaster with their hands b/c the plaster heats up as it sets and it can dry the hands out horribly (not that the clay we’re using right now is much better). 

  6. I want to…but at the same time, I kind of don’t.

    There are a couple job openings for art teachers in districts near me…really good districts too (in terms of student performance/API fun). (Doesn’t mean I’d get the job of course, because I went to a couple interviews last summer and wasn’t hired.) The districts seem pretty appealing however.

    I didn’t get pink-slipped from my current position, so I will be returning next year, which is great of course. I don’t know what school(s) I’ll be at however, since I’m split at two schools right now.

    I’m tempted to apply for these positions but part of me doesn’t want to because I don’t want to burn bridges with my current district (they assume I’ll be returning next year). Plus after completing my 2nd year, I could get tenure and I will be able to clear my teaching credential with the state.

    AND, there’s the whole “I need to revamp my resume/cover letter”, prep for interviews, and I’m just too busy for that right now since I have to write lessons, make examples, etc. It sounds like a big excuse and maybe it is.

    AND I feel like where I am at the moment as a teacher is good because I have this school year to reflect on for when I plan/improve lessons for the next year (which I’ll definitely be doing this summer).

    I don’t know what’s the best decision, but if it comes down to mental energy and what I should be focusing on, it should be about my current teaching.

  7. I have not been pink-slipped (phew), but my current position depends on the amount of students who sign up for art next year.

    While I really do want to return to the district for next school year, I don’t want to get stuck with no job during the summer. 

    Would it look/sound bad if I asked my current principal (who evaluates me) for a letter of recommendation? (A couple open positions have applications that are due the middle of April.) Of course I would communicate to her why I am asking…but I do need updated letters of rec.

    I’m not sure what the professional approach should be on this.

  8. »  Paintbrush Dr.: As an art teacher, I keep running into the dilemma of what to have...

    artfulartsyamy:

    paintbrushdrive:

    As an art teacher, I keep running into the dilemma of what to have students work on when they’re finished with the main activity for the class period, but I still have about 8-10 students who will need the entire period (or a little more than that) to finish the activity.

    I give the…

    If only I had the time to prepare awesome activities like that…

    And what happens if a student doesn’t want to do any of those activities because they know it’s a filler?

  9. As an art teacher, I keep running into the dilemma of what to have students work on when they’re finished with the main activity for the class period, but I still have about 8-10 students who will need the entire period (or a little more than that) to finish the activity.

    I give the “early-finishers” something else to work on, but unless I “sell” it to them as “extra credit”, they don’t want to work on it. Some of them, especially the 11th/12 graders, act like they can just “check out” for the rest of the period. (Maybe they’re allowed to do that in their other classes and I’m just showing my newbie teacher status?)

    A few of the students who work more slowly consistently (and still do a good job) end up feeling like they’re not able to get those “extra credit” points because they don’t finish early.

    When I talk to the early finishers about how they can improve their work, they tell me, “No that’s okay. I want to keep it the way it is.” And even if I explain how they’ll not receive full credit, they reply, “But I don’t want to work on this anymore.” (of course they say that in a whiny tone).

  10. I teach in 2 different high schools in 5 different classrooms. Only one classroom is “mine” in that my class is the only class that uses it.

    I’m trying to focus on the *positive* aspects of being in 2 different schools, but I end up focusing on the *negative* aspects, such as:

    -I have a hard time keeping track of all my students…some constantly forget to turn in their projects, some should be coming to Tutorial (time before school to make up work) and the principal suggested that I call the parents to tell them that their child needs to attend, and if I eventually get that student to come, I have to call the parent DURING Tutorial to confirm if their child indeed showed up. (Uh…what about the parents that leave early in the morning for work?) I could be doing this for 10 students, but I do not want to waste my Tutorial period calling parents.

    -I have to keep all of my copies/lesson plans/project examples portable and in folders.

    -3 of my classes have different clean-up procedures, since the layout of the rooms are different AND I’m following the procedure the “regular” teacher uses in their room.

    -All 5 classes have different classroom management issues, whether it is chattyness, students being out of their seats, cellphones, etc.

    -I have a hard time keeping track of whose cell phone I’ve taken away for the day (for each infraction, the consequence gets worse).

    -At school, I have no break between my 5th and 6th period…so I have to always pack up about 5 minutes before the bell so I’m ready to move to the next room. Which means the last 5 minutes of class is usually wasted.

    -My lunches are always cut short by 5-10 minutes so I can set up in the next room.

    Now, the *positive* aspects:

    -I get to work with and meet a variety of staff at both schools. I’ve attended staff meetings and professional developments at both schools, and there are differences in how administration runs them.

    -I get to work with a variety of students in both schools (one school is…a little more affluent than the other).

    -I’m teaching the same lessons at both schools.

    -At one school, the administration is buying the supplies for me (since I was hired literally 1 week before school began).

    -At another school, the “regular” teacher is handling all the ceramic firing for me.

    -I have a classroom ALL to myself during my prep period.

    -I get to learn about various lesson plans and see how other teachers set up their classrooms.

    -I teach a variety of subject matter…2D and 3D art. 

    -If something doesn’t work at one school on one day, I can alter it for the next day.

  11. student work from our recently completed painting/color unit: Cultural Quilts.

    Students chose a culture and looked at copies of patterns (based on the culture’s artwork) to create their own set of patterns. We learned about different color schemes…then students painted the patterns using those color schemes.

    Some of them struggled with the painting aspect, and I know a few of them didn’t like this project at all. It WAS my first time teaching this however, so there are kinks I still need to work out.

  12. I know this doesn’t look like much right now, but I created my example for the ceramic mug project…They will be inspired by song lyrics. I referenced the song “Masquerade” from the Phantom of the Opera.

    The mug’s surface is covered with masquerade masks, some ribbons, AND a Phantom mask. These do not have to be functional…but I didn’t want students creating simple mugs. 

    Students always ask me how long it took to create my example, and since I timed myself for this one, it took me over 4.5 hours. 

    I’m not quite happy with how it turned out, and we’ll have to see if everything stays on the surface during the bone dry phase. I struggled with attaching the handle (I’ve made mugs before and I always have trouble with that part).

    I’m just hoping it’ll be a project students will enjoy, since they’re always listening to their music…I know a few of them are not happy that I have requirements for their clay projects. (I can imagine them asking, “Why can’t you just let us create whatever we want?”)

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I am an artist and art teacher. I post about teaching, art education, crafting, making art, and anything I think is inspirational or cute. users online

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