In Oceans Deep My Faith Will Stand: Top 20 Things a First Year Art Teacher Learns

I usually post pretty serious things on here. However, with summer approaching I am starting to reflect on my first year teaching. It is easy to think of things I wish I had known at the beginning. Things that would have made me such a better teacher; but I had to learn those things the hard way, and move on. And I still have a lot of learning to do.

In honor of end-of-year festivities, and in dedication to all my teacher and art teacher friends I give you without further ado,

THINGS EVERY ART TEACHER KNOWS AFTER THE FIRST YEAR TEACHING

1. Coffee (lots of it) during material prep in the morning is essential.

2. There is nothing harder than each grade using different materials.

"EVERYONE IS USING MARKERS TODAY. EVERYONE."

Simplify.

3. When you're getting dressed in the morning, you're gonna want to look something like this..

...but the reality is that you work with materials that stain, and 800 children that don't look forward 40% or more of the time.

4. Most kids love art, and just want to come in and start working right away. However, the reality is they have to listen so they can learn the WHAT before the HOW.

When a class comes in all excited and you're like..

5. Fifth graders are the leaders of the school, but the last quarter of the year they get real sassy and too cool for school. You cooler than me, homie?

6. Lunch time on busy days means eating in 5 minutes so you can go prep materials for the next 3 solid hours of art classes.

7. November hit and all of a sudden half of classrooms were out with the flu. You touch EVERY MATERIAL THEY DO. Buy antibacterial and LOTS of Vitamin C (it doesn't work though, good luck.)

8. You learn power in the poised "No". You will get asked for paint and other supplies, to do posters, fix anchor charts, and other time consuming things that take away from the kids. It's all about balance!

9. Every kid knows the power of FREE DRAW DAY. Enjoy kids, enjoy.

10. Getting married half way through the year means your name will never be said just one way ever again.. Miss. Edwards.. Mrs. Cartmill.. Mrs. Cartwheel.. whatever.

11. Patience is a virtue. Especially when you've been teaching the same art lesson every day, all week, answering the same questions, multiple times a class.

"I just told you where the pencils are.."

12. Organization is key.

13. If you feel like you're drowning in materials and artwork and projects from your higher ups, just keep going.. you got this.

14. Most PD days won't be relevant for you.. at all. But luckily there are great websites like The Art of Education and state conferences that give you a boost!

15. Projects will flop. It's inevitable.

16. If we could have an invisibility button to diffuse for an hour when we come home, that would be really great. We need it. Badly.

17. But instead we usually end up talking to our spouses like they're one of our first grade kids who can't find the paint brushes two feet in front of them.