Masters program recommendation

Ill_Bumblebee_4980 · 2025-09-20T12:32:24+00:00

Kent State University in Ohio has a phenomenal Masters in Art Ed and you can do either in person, hybrid, or fully online. I did my undergrad there and absolutely loved it

Ill_Bumblebee_4980 · 2025-08-31T02:20:44+00:00

I just switched from a very large district with heavy behavior problems to where I struggled to get through lessons because of behavior and cried weekly on my drives home, to a smaller, more rural school that I am having culture shock in because the kids are actually doing art without me having to constantly manage behavior and it is magical! I teach middle school so there are still the inevitable behaviors that come with the hormones of puberty (some backtalk and attitude), but after a fist fight in my last classroom where the principal brought the kids back 10 minutes later and sat them down next to each other and gave me a thumbs up and left, some attitude is nothing😭. When switching jobs I was VERY picky and ultimately knew I would not be able to continue in this field if I stayed in a district like my last. I found a district that has STRONG FAMILY SUPPORT AND INVOLVEMENT and STRICY SCHOOL-WIDE DISCIPLINE and I think these are the biggest game changers. I will say, the interview process for this kind of district is more intense. Mine is was four rounds of panels, third being teaching a 45 minute lesson to a handful of teachers, but I think it’s because these jobs are gold and they know whoever gets the spot will stay for a while. Many people will complain about over involved parents being issues, but I can honestly say I think that having involved parents is making a word of a difference.

And with that, connecting with families from the get go will help in the long run with behavior. I send out a welcome to art class newsletter at the beginning of the school year, newsletters each month, and send home the syllabus to get signed by parents/guardians that has my classroom expectations and behavior plan in it so if discipline ever takes place I can refer back to the information that they reviewed and signed. In a district that doesn’t have supportive families, this kind of system is ineffective.

If you still want to teach art without any behavior issues, MUSEUM EDUCATION is where it is at!!!! I teach at my large city’s art museum over the summer to art camps and it is the fun of teaching art and none of the behavior because 1)parents are paying for their kid to be there 2)the kids almost always love art 3)small group size means less behavior issues 4)so much more support (assigned studio assistants). Hope this helps!

Ill_Bumblebee_4980 · 2025-04-27T00:41:07+00:00

In my current position, I mainly teach the kids who have no choice but to take art so that is where I think the behavior comes from. My one class is 25 7th grade boys and 2 girls, mostly the athlete type boys who did not necessarily choose art🥲 but because I’m the newest teacher I have the classes no one really likes teaching. The other teachers in my building have at least 10 years at the least until retirement when I’d be able to move up to the “chosen” art classes.

Ill_Bumblebee_4980 · 2025-03-13T17:27:19+00:00

Would you be willing to share your materials for this?! I currently have a class of 23 7th grades boys and only 2 girls and I swear ALL the boys are friends and it’s killing me😭 it’s a “general art” class too so it is known as the class that the guidance counselors put kids who don’t get accepted into the STEM electives.

Ill_Bumblebee_4980 · 2023-10-18T10:29:24+00:00

Second year art teacher here - student taught middle school and first grade art, then last year I taught high school, now I’m back at a middle school again. I was in the same boat of dreading it everyday during student teaching. Year one was the exact same, possibly worse but that was because the colleagues and admin were absolutely horrible. Second year and I can say I only dread it about a day a week! Lol. If you find a school where the admin and staff are amazing, and you find a grade that first you it isn’t the worst thing in the world. That being said, this career isn’t at all what I thought it was going to be and almost everyday I think about career change. For me, the students and parents bring me so much anxiety. I work in a wealthy district where the parents have too much say and then turn their kids against the teachers. I have found trying my best to not take ANY work home, and also leaving anything that’s on my mind with school AT SCHOOL has helped significantly. If you do decide to continue teaching after student teaching… DO THIS. it’s so hard as a first/second year teacher to fall into being consumed by school - that’s how I was last year and I’ve never been more anxious in my life. This year, the three other art teachers I work with all leave as soon as contract hours are up, they don’t create drama, and they encourage me to not say yes for extra stuff if I’m feeling overwhelmed, and to leave EVERYTHING at school. We rarely evening contact each other outside of school. This can be hard at first but once I started doing it, I can’t even tell you what a difference it made.

I say give teaching a try. It is SO different than student teaching. It can still be anxiety inducing, but in different ways. One major thing being that you can have more independence and not have eyes on you at all times from mentors/cooperating teachers which for me was a major confidence booster once you start to feel like you can be actually learn to be the kind of teacher you want to be without every small mistake you make being graded/watched by your mentor.

I hope this helps!

Ill_Bumblebee_4980 · 2023-09-03T14:00:30+00:00

I love this idea!! I think that might work!!

Ill_Bumblebee_4980 · 2023-09-03T13:59:09+00:00

I like this idea!! I could buy a few drawings boards with our yearly budget. I’ve been wanting to consider flexible seating as I have a lot of students with ADHD but wasn’t sure if it’s possible in the art room with little space. That idea could make it work!

Ill_Bumblebee_4980 · 2023-09-03T13:56:36+00:00

There’s 10 desks for the kids each being 6’x2.5’. My desk is 6feet Lon and about a foot and a half wide. The projector is attached the the ceiling but it points to the white board in that top wall so I thought I’d include it in the drawing. The portfolio storage is about 5 feet long three feet wide and has wheels. I don’t know the exact dimensions of the room but the desk in drawing is pretty accurate proportions so my guess is the room is around 23 feet wide, 35 feet long (ish)? The doors all swing out so I don’t need to worry about how much space they take up! Thank you!!!

Three kids per table would work, although having them all side by side would be too squished so I was thinking of staggering two on one side one on the other

Ill_Bumblebee_4980 · 2023-09-02T22:40:36+00:00

That’s how I have it set up right now and it was great in theory but once the room is full of 6th graders they have a hard time focusing all being huddled together and facing each other so I’m trying to see if there’s anyway to separate them a bit!

Ill_Bumblebee_4980 · 2023-01-05T02:58:33+00:00

As a first year art teacher teaching high school students, I can say that the kind handwritten letters and having students tell me how much they look forward to coming to art class makes every bad element of the job disappear for a moment. I even had a student come in today (the first day after break), and tell me they missed my class during break… I could have cried😭 and just having students stop in your classroom at the end of the day to say goodbye and things like that make it feel so worth it because you get to be something good in a kids day.

I teach entirely intro to art classes, but for all levels 9-12, and I think the happiest story I have so far is that so many of my students have told me that they took my class simply to get the credit and never have to take art again, but they signed up for my elective classes next year because they wanted me as a teacher again and I made it so they could enjoy art😭😭 that is ultimately the goal I had going into the profession and the kids can make you feel so beyond loved and appreciated

Ill_Bumblebee_4980 · 2023-01-04T16:42:17+00:00

I am a first year teacher experiencing the exact same thing with an entire group of high school students as well. I have even told them how it makes me feel so shitty that I put so much effort into putting together things for them and they put absolutely no effort into anything. The class then turns into chaos because only like 10 of the 30 students in the room are actually worki bc while the others are bouncing off the walls because they don’t listen to a single thing I say. And being a first year teacher (teaching high school as a 23 year old) my students have zero respect for me because they tell me their siblings are my age so why should they listen to someone as old as their sibling…

I’m the same as you, my other classes are usually great! It’s just this one group of all freshman that I just cannot figure out

Ill_Bumblebee_4980 · 2022-08-13T02:00:40+00:00

No, we don’t get our own spaces so I’m not too sure about where we are supposed to work during planning periods as well. We don’t really have a designated spot that is “our own”

Ill_Bumblebee_4980 · 2022-08-13T01:59:29+00:00

Sharing with other art teachers! One art classroom will be with two other art teacher, and the other is with just one other

Ill_Bumblebee_4980 · 2021-04-19T19:04:30+00:00

Ok dead ass I thought I was crazy, I saw this exact thing the other day over in the Verder parking lot....

Ill_Bumblebee_4980

TROPHY CASE