It's summer and teachers everywhere are planning what they'll do during the new school year.

I'm planning on what I WON'T do anymore.

During the first week of art classes in my elementary art classroom, I used to spend a lot of time on rules. And procedures. And assigned seats. Don't forget the fire drill and lockdown drill procedure!

After a few years I noticed that my young students were bored.

"When are we going to do ART?"
"Are we painting today?"
​"What kind of art are we making today?"

And many of their behaviors made it perfectly clear that they were NOT engaged. You know what I mean, right?

So, a few years ago I saw that Ted Edinger tweeted about having his students paint on the first day of art. Say what? PAINT ON THE FIRST DAY? Surely, he was kidding.

Nope. He wasn't. And I decided I was going to do it too.

They loved painting on the first day of art! Before each class I made sure all the paints, tables and supplies were ready. I quickly went over the class list, showed them their seats, and then intro to paint! We painted dots like Mr.E did and we hung them up.

Want to be crazy like me and Mr. E? Just make sure all your students know to bring their smocks in right away and be prepared for some excited young artists!
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Summer! As a teacher I know that I need the summer to de-stress and re-charge for the next school year.
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Honestly, if I didn’t have a summer break, I don’t know if I would have made it to my 32nd year of teaching. Yikes! That sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? Well, it is and it isn’t. Believe it or not, it goes by FAST. I stay current by participating in online art teacher groups on Facebook and Twitter. It is great to be able to interact with art teachers all over the world.

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​TAKE TIME TO BE LEARNERS

All teachers need to take time to be learners. One of the best ways I have found to stay connected to what my students experience each day is to actually BE a life-long learner myself. I’ve been at this teaching thing a while, and I have experienced how new learning for me equals new understanding and empathy for how students learn.

​As an art teacher and mixed media artist, I love to spend part of my summer creating. This summer, I plan to play with my 15 inch Cricket Loom to see what else I can create. Last winter, I made some “mug rugs,” or coasters. The wool I used is really absorbent and the colors are just right for the living room.


FINDING YOUR MEDIUM

Weaving is one of my students’ favorite art mediums. I love working with fibers myself. I am thinking of writing a grant for some smaller Cricket Looms for fifth graders. I think they would love them because they would be able to weave longer items more quickly.


YOUR ARTISTIC SOUL

Summer is here! What can you learn? No matter what you choose, be sure to reflect on being a student again. How does it feel? What do you want and expect as a learner?  Can you apply your new learning and especially that feeling of being a learner to your teaching repertoire?

I bet you can.

This blog was first posted on Education Closet, July 2017.

Managing materials and supplies in an elementary school art room can be difficult! Since students in my art room choose what to create, they need to be able to set up and clean up their work spaces. Here are a few ways I set up different centers to help my 2nd through 5th grade kids to work independently.


Make it easy for students to help themselves, within limits​
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When I first set up these places for students to help themselves to construction paper, a student said to me, “Mrs. T, you are getting better every day!” That made me smile! Students were happy to have more choice in their art studio. If you spend time in the beginning of the year showing students how to set up and clean up their workspace, they have more ownership of their work.

Create a basic supply table or space

​Right next to the supplies, add photos of how the materials and tools should look like when put away properly. This helps students know exactly what “cleaned up” should look like when class is over. You cannot assume that students will know what your expectation of “cleaned up” looks like!

Help students learn how to be independent and responsible

​Obviously, re-teach and review procedures as needed. As teachers, we can determine what each class needs and which students might need more practice or direction. Steps can be listed on the wall of the center, or you can create smaller versions for students to take to their workspace. ​

Create videos to ensure each class gets the same instructions

​If you need to re-teach, you could do it “live, in person” for a small group, or just show the video to the whole class again. Try to keep your videos three minutes or less. It is better to make two shorter videos than one big, long one.

Sharp pencils and the “sharpen me” basket

​This cuts down on, “I need to sharpen my pencil” requests. Set up your pencils this way! Have a bucket with sharp pencils, and a basket for pencils that need sharpening. Students can take a sharp one, when they return it, they need to decide where it should go!

Have other students help when their classmates need a reminder

​Many times, when a student asks me where something is (or where it should be put away), I don’t answer if this is something they should know. Nearby students help their friend! Bonus: I am no longer the only “teacher” in the room!

Do you have any other ideas to increase student independence in the art studio? Let chat on Twitter, or leave a comment below!
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​This post was first published on Education Closet.