Art Education

  

Becoming an art educator is a way to combine a people oriented vocation with an art avocation. If you enjoy working with young people, and have effective communication skills, this may be a career to look into. It can be a very rewarding occupation that can also enable you to continue your art making.

Students with art education degrees, who have prepared themselves well, and who actively look for work, find employment in their field. It is important to be able to relocate when first searching for a job. People skills and communication skills (writing and speaking) are essential. Some art education majors also complete a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Art Education program works closely with the School of Education and Wisconsin Department of Instruction. The program also enjoys a top reputation in preparing art teachers and has maintained a 100% placement rate for its graduates.

EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

To teach you must have a Bachelor's degree in art education and state teacher certification. Most school systems prefer, and some require, that teachers take additional courses or earn a master's degree within a given period after being hired. Teachers' are required to meet various state requirements on an ongoing basis to renew and maintain their Wisconsin teaching license.

PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS

An interest in students from kindergarten through 12th grade, and an ability to communicate with them is a fundamental requirement. You need to have some personal artistic ability and a genuine interest in students' art. Qualities to possess include: stamina, self-confidence, self-motivation, creativity, energy, and enthusiasm. It is important to be able to empathize with how children learn to express themselves, and be able to motivate them to be creative and experimental. Tasks that you design must enable learners to succeed at all levels of sophistication. You will also need to be able to discipline students when necessary.

Required skills will include: planning and decision making, instructing, advising, supervising, directing, assessing, and evaluating. You will be called upon to develop curriculum and be an advocate for your program.

CURRENT TEACHING ENVIRONMENT

Classroom teaching today requires the art teacher to be a comprehensive generalist. You need to know as much as you can about all studio areas. New communication/art technologies are very important. Many art teachers become the leaders in their schools in these areas of technological education. Students are particularly interested in these areas as well, and because art classes at the high school level are elective, it is important to offer a broad base of communication/art technology opportunities to keep students in your program. In high school, it is important to work with teachers in the technical education program whenever
you can.

Other work activities will include:

  1. Interacting with faculty, parents, and local artists.
  2. Attending and participating in faculty meetings.
  3. Serving on school and perhaps district committees.
  4. Coordinating teaching and other special activities with other faculty and perhaps with local artists, art associations or museum curators.
  5. Conferring with other faculty members about students' progress and problems.
  6. Working with special education departments to develop art programs for students with special needs.
  7. Meeting with parents of individual students.
  8. Attending parents nights, PTO meetings, and open houses.

ADMINISTRATIVE AND OTHER DUTIES

  1. Ordering and maintaining art supplies, and managing within a budget.
  2. Maintaining the studio teaching facility: clean-up, organization, repair, planning for new needs and facilities, justifying and advocating facility needs.
  3. Maintaining careful records of grades and attendance.
  4. Filling report forms and records, writing reports for school administrators.
  5. Writing letters of recommendation for students for college, art school, employment, and scholarships.
  6. Responsibility for school bulletin boards and display area.
  7. Planning for and supervising students on art field trips.
  8. Supervising art exhibits and student organizations in art, photography, or other pursuits.
  9. Acting as artistic advisor to school magazines or yearbook.
  10. Involvement in design or painting for school dramatic productions.
  11. Supervision of non-art extracurricular activities such as sports, or cheer leading.
  12. Other school duties may include: monitoring hallways, lunchrooms, recess areas, the auditorium, library, or bus loading area.

STUDENT ADVISING

An essential duty for all teachers is the direct advising of students on a full range of topics, both educational and personal. These duties include:

  1. Advice on classes to take.
  2. Awareness of educational and career opportunities.
  3. Helping students in selecting art work for portfolios when applying to art schools. Helping them find where to apply, depending on their interests and talents.
  4. Listening to students who want to talk about personal problems. Knowing when to suggest talking to a school counselor or psychologist.

PROMOTING YOUR ART PROGRAM

It is important to reach beyond school duties to make people in the surrounding community aware of the importance and achievements of your school arts program.

Exhibit your students' art works in schools, community and public buildings, art centers, etc.

Publicize exhibitions through news releases to newspapers, radio and TV stations.

Circulate flyers to parents, families, and community organizations about exhibits or activities.

Display student art work in prominent school locations during parents nights, open houses, concerts and plays.

KEEPING CURRENT

It is essential to keep up with developments in the art and art education field:

  1. Know about and work with the latest techniques and materials for making and teaching art.
  2. Maintain membership in professional associations.
  3. Attend conferences, art exhibitions, and lectures.
  4. Read the art and educational literature in the field.
  5. Attend workshops and take classes.
  6. Pursue your own art work and submit works for exhibition.
  7. Join and participate in local and regional art associations and programs.
There are special problems AND satisfactions in teaching art. You may have to teach many large classes and have little time for preparation. Students may need to be disciplined (some may think art classes are irrelevant or an easy grade). There will be demands from parents, students, administrators. You may need to defend art programs in times of tight budgets.

Satisfaction is gained from watching students develop their understanding of art and its many unique forms of expression. Most activities are easily understood and enjoyed by students of differing ethnic and linguistic backgrounds. Many art teachers find the process of assisting students strengthens their own artistic development.

Surveys show that the public considers teaching to have one of the highest prestige levels among occupations. Art teachers who mount successful exhibitions of students' and their own work may achieve more visibility and acclaim in the community than most regular classroom teachers.

For further information about a career in art education contact faculty member:

Lia Johnson
Fine Arts Building Room 200
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Tel: (715) 836-2910
JOHNSOCW@uwec.edu