Teaching art means that all supplies must be easily accessed so when your next group arrives you are prepared. Minutes are lost gathering materials. The class eagerly awaits your permission to enter and their teacher or parents have left them with you. You bring the class in your room, seating them in assigned seats at their table. On your desk is a roster of the class so you can note behavior and individual strengths in subject matter for their grades, and your plan book. Use their names during the class to build a friendly atmosphere. Art is fun, and you as an art teacher must make each student feel that he or she has some art ability. Most public schools with art, require the art teacher to link the art lesson to one of the subject matters being covered in the class. You must organize your materials to suit the lessons. Here are seven first steps to organizing an art room for teaching. If needed, conference with the classroom teacher once a week, to plan the themes students will be learning for the month.
1. Plan book- As soon as you arrive in your room, check your plan book for your schedule for the day, and what lessons will be presented, or retrieve the lessons from the previous weeks work from the shelf, and arrange the material you will need for the day. Get ready for your first group by placing their crayons, markers, scissors, etc. in the middle of the table. While the students are working during the first art period, you can get the next class' work out.
2. Teaching material- Place your teaching material, like illustrative books on your subject matter, at the front of the room. After the class has settled (do not start unless they are quiet) explain the project. Show them an example of the lesson, and make sure they understand that they must be creative. If they begin to talk, wait. Teach them that when you raise your index finger in the air, you want quiet. They will learn this technique themselves if they notice their group is getting noisy. They will realize you are serious about teaching art. Show them pictures that give them an idea of the subject matter. Maybe they never saw jungle animals in the zoo, so a book on that would be appropriate. Always give examples to show them and speak to the class about how the project is linked to the particular subject.
3. Team leaders- Many lessons require markers, crayons, scissors and construction paper. Ask the team (table) materials leader to come up and take the paper from your materials table against the wall. Everything else should be in the middle of the table. This prevents students getting up when they need something. Train them to raise their hands if they need something or have a question. The team leader should count the scissors before his group gets on line. This is for school or street safety. Students should be told that all supplies must stay in the art room.
4. Storage- Have storage closets that are designated for each material. One large cabinet to store glues, paste, scissors, stiffer paper called Bristol board, small construction paper and wall paper sample books and newspaper. Another cabinet should be for paint (gallon size to be poured into sealed plastic jars). Tempera paint is used for younger children, acrylics for the older students, wide brushes for the younger children and an assortment of sizes for various needs. Do not buy the cheaper brushes. They will shred and leave hair like strands on the work. Some weeks, there will be hundreds of children using the brushes, so make sure you order better brushes. Watercolor tubes or the large circular dry watercolor tablets will be kept in the paint cabinet. Store rolls of mural paper next to the paper cabinet.
5. Drying space- Have a table for drying the students' work. Some art teachers use portable laundry stands with clothespins to hang art. Even an area on the floor will do if you do not have wall space. Keep the paper cutter with its blade against the wall and the locking lever on. You will need it often to prepare the display boards with students' work for the hallway or library or an art show.
6. Water- Water is a crucial element in an art room. You may not have a sink. Put a table in the corner with a bucket for the old water and a pitcher with clean water. The materials leader of each table can go up to the water table and pour the dark water into the bucket and obtain clean water from the pitcher. Go to the slop sink in in the hallway to empty and fill the containers in the morning. Place under the table a couple of extra empty buckets and a few filled gallon jugs of water. You may not need water with every lesson, but this area is needed to be set up always. Paper towels and hand cleaner is helpful on this table. Call a plumber to install a sink if this is a home studio.
7. Time- Class time is usually not enough to finish projects, so you should have a table or cabinet to arrange projects according to class. This way, the following week you can call out the student's name for them to come up and get their work. I hope your schedule allows you a little time in between class. When a class is late coming to your art room, sometimes you will sigh with relief. You may have to adjust the lesson, but it gives you, the art teacher, a little time to take a drink of water and breathe.
You will need energy and enthusiasm to make future artists or patrons of the arts. Organization of your materials for teaching in an art room is essential for a great art program.
Mary D. Bogin is a 30 year veteran teacher. She holds an MA in Art Education, and taught art in the public schools for sixteen years. She was trained in teaching reading, and taught children and adults in various literacy programs, but her writing has been her focus after retiring. Visit http://www.mdbogin.wordpress.com for more articles about teaching children and adults, and stories about life. She is currently writing a fictional book about the year 2125.
