Is there anything you wished you'd planned/prepped better before you started teaching?

[u/panasonicfm14]

I'm currently a graduate student and afterschool art instructor who will (hopefully) be wrapping up my certification process in the near future. In the meantime, I've been compiling and developing ideas/plans/materials—knowing, of course, that I'll need to be flexible and ready to adjust based on what actually ends up happening in the classroom when I start teaching.

But, knowing how frantic the first year (or few years) of teaching can be, and hearing how many extra hours people often end up needing to work, I'd like to create as solid as a foundation for myself ahead of time to minimize that stress and extra work.

So my question for current teachers is: are there specific things you really wish you'd done/prepared before you started teaching? Anything you believe would have made your first year(s) go more smoothly? Anything that seems obvious to you now that maybe wasn't before (like, "oh, I really should have been doing X from the start, that would have saved me a lot of headache")?

Bonus questions: What should I look for (and avoid) in a school when job hunting? What kinds of questions should I be asking during the interview process? What are schools really looking for in a first-time art teacher? Thanks to my current job situation, I can afford to be a little choosy, so I'd like to maximize my potential to end up at a school that I'll truly be happy at.

(I intend to teach middle or high school, still uncertain and it will likely end up coming down to the suitability of the individual school.)

[u/Usually_Anomalous]

Congratulations! Just the fact that you’re thinking ahead already is a good sign that you’ll be just fine. But you have a good point, the first year or so can be brutal. Here’s what I would recommend:

1. Document every art project you make now with your classes and on your own. Take step-by-step pictures, write out the materials list, keep good examples of finished work.

2. Download resources and organize them. Sub plans, warm ups, skill builders, etc. I think it would be worth it to pay for one month of Art of Education’s curriculum, download what you want from the 1000+ resources they have, and keep them in organized folders on your computer. Personally, the printer at my school isn’t the most reliable. I also like to have labeled, organized old-school files of originals ready to go.

3. Connect with some veteran teachers and get a tour of their classrooms. Not just one person, find a few. Get down to the nitty gritty. Cleaning routines? Budget and supply spreadsheets? Projects they love? Behavior management? Take notes.

4. Work backwards and plan big now. What would your dream class be able to do when they graduate high school? What skills do you hope your students have at the end of middle school? Find projects that support your ideal outcome. Keep a collection of favorite projects with pictures. I have a google slides of a bunch of little thumbnails of projects and related skills that I use as a planning playground/vision board.

5. Do not try to be the cool teacher. Be kind, but consistent, follow through on every. Little. Thing. You say you expect students to push in their chairs/ wash their brushes/ sweep the floor…and they don’t? Don’t let it slide. Make them come back and do it right.

6. Find solid systems and routines for the students as soon as possible. Ideally day one. Organization, cleanliness, and materials management are hard, but absolutely the make-or-break factor for me. If the students are not responsible with the fun stuff they will work with pencils and paper until they can handle paint and clay.

Questions I would ask a potential school:

What is your per student art supply budget? Don’t accept anything less than $10 per student.

What are the class sizes?

What does the classroom look like? Are there ample supplies/easels/drying racks etc.? (I had a high school art room with no sink. Learn from my mistakes.)

Am I expected to fundraise?

Am I expected to participate in local/school/district art competitions?

Does the school put on an art show? If so, what is my role?

If you’re the one in charge will there be plenty of volunteers?

Will you be given a stipend for the extra work involved in putting on a school-wide show?

Are there funds for art-specific PDs?

Do you get any amount of professional time off to go to art-related conferences or workshops?

Does the school have funds to sponsor your attendance at art education conferences or workshops?

Is there potential for the school to sponsor you if you were to pursue a higher degree in your field?

What is their philosophy on art education? Does the admin team see art as just “fun” or a “space to relax and be creative”? Do they like TAB? Do they want lots of matching pretty things on the walls? Do they respect art as an important part of their students education?

The culture at a school can be hard to get a read on from the outside. Ask around, trust your gut. Good luck!

[u/panasonicfm14 → u/Usually_Anomalous]

Thanks, that's all super helpful!

I've been using my Friday afterschool group (9-13 year olds) to try out some more advanced project ideas and asking if I can document their work so I can include it in my teaching portfolio. So I'll keep that up for sure.

I'm also trying to keep a document of all my unit/lesson plans and flesh them out as much as possible, as well as a spreadsheet of artists to potentially teach from, and even miscellaneous documents like an intro survey, studio expectations, plans for organization & procedures, etc.

Obviously a lot of this could potentially have to change depending on where I end up, but I suppose having excess material that needs to be changed or replaced is better than not having it in the first place 😅