Teaching art in a Title 1 school can be challenging. Often there is limited funding for art supplies, behavioral issues and lack of support. Although, depending on your perspective, teaching at a Title 1 school can be no different than any other school.
At least that’s how it was for me.
I taught in a Title 1 school for 6 years and loved it.
So why do some teachers thrive in challenging situations while others struggle?
In this episode of Art Made Easy, I’m answering a question that I have put aside for over a year. The question that came from a clearly frustrated teacher weighed on me until I felt I had enough perspective to answer her question.
I’ll share my best tips for how to manage the challenging logistics of teaching art in a Title 1 school.
Here are my top tips:
– Be super organized.
– Accept you might not have all the art supplies you need, so be creative.
– Learn all you can about management. This will be your ticket to success.
– Don’t underestimate the power of choosing engaging subjects for your art lessons.
– Take care of yourself.
– Join a supportive learning community.
– Practice positivity & know you are impacting children at a level you may not be aware of
Ready to have a listen?
My best advice for teaching art to kids.
Teaching art in a Title 1 school can be challenging. Often there is limited funding for art supplies, behavioral issues and lack of support. Although, depending on your perspective, teaching at a Title 1 school can be no different than any other school.
At least that’s how it was for me.
I taught in a Title 1 school for 6 years and loved it.
So why do some teachers thrive in challenging situations while others struggle?
In this episode of Art Made Easy, I’m answering a question that I have put aside for over a year. The question that came from a clearly frustrated teacher weighed on me until I felt I had enough perspective to answer her question.
I’ll share my best tips for how to manage the challenging logistics of teaching art in a Title 1 school.
Here are my top tips:
– Be super organized.
– Accept you might not have all the art supplies you need, so be creative.
– Learn all you can about management. This will be your ticket to success.
– Don’t underestimate the power of choosing engaging subjects for your art lessons.
– Take care of yourself.
– Join a supportive learning community.
– Practice positivity & know you are impacting children at a level you may not be aware of
Ready to have a listen?
SHOW NOTES:
James Wedmore’s Mind Your Business Podcast
When Changing Nothing Changes Everything: The Power of Reframing Your Life by Laurie Police Short
The Abundance Code: How to Bust the 7 Money Myths for a Rich Life Now by Julie Ann Cairns
AME 067 with Lynda Gordon How to Seek Funding for your Art Program
AME 012 Easy Management Tips with Michael Linsin
Smart Classroom Management
Go Fund Me Website
SHOW NOTES:
James Wedmore’s Mind Your Business Podcast
When Changing Nothing Changes Everything: The Power of Reframing Your Life
The Abundance Code: How to Bust the 7 Money Myths for a Rich Life Now
AME 067 with Lynda Gordon How to Seek Funding for your Art Program
AME 012 Easy Management Tips with Michael Linsin
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This is a podcast that I really connected with. Sometimes when scrolling through or listening to deep space sparkle content it all really does seem to “sparkle” but their is a hard truth that most of us deal with and that is most days can be lack luster or down right gray. It is a powerful statement that we can bring our own perception to any situation and something I need to remind myself of daily. Thank you for a podcast that reminds of us of our reality and the power we have to be a positive influence on our students.
This is truly awsome, thank you!!!
*awesome
I’m currently teaching at a Title 1 school and this is my third year. The school population is 310 students and I must admit my administrators are extremely supportive of what our students are accomplishing in art!
It wasn’t always that way, but with the power of persuasion and great student work framed lining the hallways leading to the principal’ office and the front office transforming a drab 56 year old school!
Funding has been adequate due to community partnerships!
Yes we do have some students with behavioral issues, but our goal is to teach and care for every student!
Mmm sometimes our challenges seem monumental, but these children are an integral part of our future!
Respect us art teachers who stand tall and proud of the work we do after all we impact all aspects of our society!!!
LOVE this so much. These kids are so lucky to have you. Well done!
Thank you for share. This helps and reminder to me to find other teacher with positive mindset. Thank you for your honesty. True confessions that area struggle with taking care of self. Sometimes pour out everything and forget to refill the creative heart within my self…teach at Title 1 with 900 students. Each one of them are special and love them all.
I was feeling guilty because we can only get the “limited” art materials. Because of the your podcast help me be free and it is okay, we are still making amazing art. I love how my students are mostly happy and excited to learn about art. Thank you again addressing this in podcast about kids interested.
I am if you or anyone have any tips for large class size, with disturbing art materials in an efficient manner? In the past I had worked in school with much smaller class size and allowed student to get the materials themselves. However, lol, it was be a wild chaotic if 50 something student get up or time consuming to call table by table.
I don’t know if sound lazy or not not wanting to spend all my free time after school washing palettes. Most thankful for suggestion on disturbing paint to massive amounts?
Love your guidance!
Hi, Thanks for the Title I thoughts. Now in my 6th year (like you!) at a 4th urban school Title I I’ve also found that contests are also a helpful focus for my students especially the older ones. I post contest notices on a bulletin board outside the room (offer paper to those who need it) and sometimes do the project in class. I have students pick “personal work” from various worksheets at the beginning of a semester. If they’re ahead of other sin finishing they can do their “personal work” OR/AND they can work on a contest submission. Just FYI.
I can really relate to this podcast and to the teacher who wrote you that email. My first teaching job was in a Title 1 high school when I was 23, in graduate school with no teaching experience, not even student teaching. I am introverted and I was extremely shy, I’m an artist but had no idea how to teach. I would have 42 students in my art room sometimes and 36 desks. I had students with violent tendencies, students who were in gangs and carved gang signs into my desks, I even had the gang police show up one day and take a drawing mural we were working on! In the middle of class! It was stressful to say the least! I taught there for 4 years and it was the most uncomfortable I’ve ever been and yet I loved it and I loved my students! I did my best with what I had, but I didn’t feel very successful. I was in graduate school at night and just plain exhausted on the weekends. Because of all the flooding in that area we had a major rat problem, they ate our paper mache masks and the tops off the glue bottles! I had a student attempt suicide in my class, I was sexually harassed weekly, there were fights in my classroom, a student even threatened to bring a gun for me! I grew up with a lot of negativity so that was also a struggle, but I can tell you what I loved, I loved my big old stinky art room, because we had a lot of windows and a door that opened to a courtyard, we used to draw outside when the weather was nice. I learned so much from my students, I enjoyed getting to know them, I felt honored that I was the teacher they went to when they needed to cry, sometimes they’d even hide behind my desk to cry and I would let them. Sometimes my classroom was such a mess at the end of the day that I would want to cry! But then there were kids who would help me clean up, there were kids who defended me to the students who threatened me, there were kids who helped me form an art club, there were kids who would play guitar in my class when they finished their work, and now there are now kids who are my friends on FB who are now adults and parents and hard-working individuals and they amaze me! It is such an honor to get to share in their lives. And as horrible of an art teacher as I felt like I was, I realized that I did work really hard to diversify my lessons by subject, theme, artist, and material. And I’m always surprised when those students come back and tell me all that they did learn and what a great teacher I was! :-0 !! Many of those students had NEVER had Art! And I had the opportunity to expose them to it! Now I look at those 4 years as some of the most valuable in my life. And the amazing thing I learned in having thousands of students in a school year, was that I could love so many individuals at once! I never knew my heart was that big! Getting to know my students and hearing their stories gave me an insight to how people struggle in our society, the cycles, the conditioning, the coping mechanisms, the abuse endured by so many, etc. That insight helps me be an empathetic person today and helps me stand up for those who are disenfranchised, and underprivileged. That experience made me a better person. I’ll share one of my most proud moments, we made art kites every year in March and we never could get them to fly, and every year I’d try a different kite pattern, till finally my last year THEY FLEW! And my students were thrilled seeing their art FLYING!! It was the best moment! My toughest kids smiling and running with a kite in their hands and their art in the sky! What more can I say!