I Dont Know Much About Art but I Know What I Like

At that place are incredible art teachers all over the country, working every twenty-four hours to improve their craft. These teachers care virtually their students, their subject, and their profession. And then there are the residue of them. They are ineffective, disinterested, and to put it frankly, terrible fine art teachers, and they give the rest of the states a bad name. Tim and Andrew work through their frustrations with those terrible art teachers and talk about what yous can do if you observe yourself slipping into these bad habits. Listen for their advice on why you need to explore new things (8:30), why you should stand up for yourself (10:00), and how to avert the negativity that leads to terrible teaching (11:45). Full episode transcript below.

Resources and Links:

• Why information technology's Okay to Feel Teacher Exhaustion
• 7 Ways to Striking Your Stride in the Art Room
• Confessions of a Not-So-Perfect Fine art Teacher
• ten Things to Stop Doing At present as an Art Teacher

 Transcript

Welcome to Art Ed Radio, the podcast for our teachers. This show is produced past the art of pedagogy and I'chiliad your host, Tim Bogatz. In this episode, we're going to explore the night underbelly of art didactics, those terrible teachers who give the residue of united states a actually bad name. Now why are they and then bad and how tin they ruin the all-time job on the planet? Andrew and I are going to go through and explore the eight things that terrible fine art teachers do.

Before we get started, however, I desire to make 2 things clear. Kickoff, nosotros're not trying to exist overly negative. In fact, that's ane thing we talk about in this episode, staying away from the negativity. I may not be the best person to talk about this because I tin be kind of cranky sometimes. Andrew likes to telephone call me the resident curmudgeon, just I'thousand going to be determined well-nigh telling you this, that negativity never fabricated information technology into my classroom. It never fabricated its way to my kids.

In the classroom, it's all nigh positivity, setting students upwards for success, celebrating that success wherever y'all might notice information technology. My hope is that this episode can be more of a lighthearted look at some aspects of teaching that we call up need to be improved, not necessarily an episode that dwells on our shortcomings and that brings me to signal ii. We're not trying to shame anyone for doing things poorly. We want to point out things that we recall teachers can improve on. We want y'all to reflect on your instruction and think almost what y'all do every day and make sure that yous're not doing whatever of these eight things.

If you are doing some of those things and if yous're feeling yourself slipping, perhaps this episode can be the kick in the butt that you demand to brand some changes, and almost chiefly, next week nosotros're going to be talking about the things that amazing art teachers are able to do, bringing out the positivity, the inspiration and the celebration of everything that's amazing in the earth of are teaching. Information technology's going to be a good couple weeks of shows here.

Now, I want to bring Andrew on, but before I do that I need to tell you lot about the Art of Ed's new Studio Form. It'south a graduate form called Studio Fibers and information technology's going to make its debut run starting on Oct 1st. You get the chance to experiment with a huge variety of ii-dimensional and three-dimensional weaving, felting and embroidery techniques and create resources, tools, and hands-on fiber art examples that are immediately gear up to use in your classroom. It's worth three credit hours and information technology runs over the course of 8 weeks to let you plenty of time for those easily-on projects.

Like I said, the commencement class will start Oct 1st then you have about ii weeks from now to go signed up. If you desire to know more, check out the folio on the artofed.com/courses. At present permit's bring on Andrew to talk virtually those eight things that terrible art teachers do. All correct. Andrew is at present hither with me. Andrew, how are you?

Andrew: Oh, man, I'm skilful. I'm all types of fired up so I'm prepare to talk about this stuff.

Tim: I know. I know you're similar way too excited most talking well-nigh all the terrible things that fine art teachers do. We've narrowed our listing downwards to eight and I'm going to let you start us off with number one.

Andrew: Okay, so I don't see this a whole lot because a  lot of times I've either been working solo or been working with a instructor who's really good, but I've inherited classrooms from people who I've been told don't get up out of their chair very often so they kind of find a nice, cozy, comfy spot where they can see everyone and and so they only kind of plunk down and they make the kids come to them. Talk about a bottleneck. You have kids having questions all the time and if you lot're making them come up to yous considering you can't become out of your cozy desk-bound or chair, that's a problem.

Tim: Yes.

Andrew: In fact, I know a lot of people listening to the podcast know and people on AOE know that I've actually accustomed a new chore. Actually one of the first things I did, I got rid of my desk. I literally do non have a chair in my room that I can sit at, with the exception of if I'm really feeling tired and I need to sit next to a educatee, I will sit side by side to a student at their desk but I don't accept my ain petty private isle, my ain oasis in the tempest. I just remember that it's a problem when teachers sit downwards also much.

Tim: Yeah, I hold and I'm very similar where I was always up and effectually the room as much as possible, simply I like having my desk there because I did so much with ane-on-ane conferences with students and having them come up sit dorsum by the desk. That works out all correct, simply for the most part, if you're going to be a practiced teacher, you need to be up, you need to exist moving around. Not merely practise you collaborate with students so much better, you are able to head off any classroom management issues before they even get started. I'yard just going to share one story real quick there.

There used to be a teacher in my commune who only sabbatum in her chair all day long and worked on her own art, didn't really care what her kids were doing and it got to the bespeak where kids were literally smoking pot in the back of her room and she had no idea considering she never left her desk. Obviously that's an extreme instance, but it simply blows my mind the fact that teachers think it'south okay to just sit where they are and permit their class go crazy.

Andrew: Aye, I don't know. It's bad all the way around. In that location was a cursory menstruum where I was not in teaching, a dark six calendar month menstruation of my life and I had kind of a dissimilar job and I establish it wasn't for me. I gained fifteen pounds in those six months because I was non walking.

Tim: Yeah.

Andrew: I know this is a tertiary business organization about art fettle, but I walk a lot of steps every day when I don't ever sit down down.

Tim: Yeah. No dubiousness. I'm glad you're keeping in shape.

Andrew: I try.

Tim: Then y'all had a good story you told me one time near I remember it was nearly this teacher sitting in her chair and kids similar coloring on themselves?

Andrew: Yes. Again, I didn't see this first manus but it was what I was told. This was a long time ago, then I inherited a classroom from a teacher who was kind of a "Let me find my spot and I'll sit down the whole fourth dimension," and she would tell her unproblematic students, "When you have a question on your fine art work, yous write your name up on the board and then I'll get to y'all i-on-1." Well, yous know if you're teaching second grade or third grade, every single child is going to rush up to the whiteboard to put their name on the lath and try to get that spot and jockey for position.

Well, this was i of those classrooms where information technology was fine art-on-a-cart and she had kind of gone into the third grade room and third grade teacher left and and then came back in and she found ane of her tertiary-class boys only drawing on his confront with his markers, only going hardcore on his face, covering it up and the third-grade teacher, who was really good, said, "Buddy, what are you doing?" "Well, I'grand number 24 on the list and she said my markers weren't whatever good anyhow and she wasn't going to aid me and so I'one thousand doing this."

Y'all might call up it sounds crazy, merely to an eight-year-old, you know you're not going to help in the side by side 30 minutes, you've been told that your art materials are substandard and not worth the instructor'due south time, I would draw on my face likewise. I would just check out and, "Yeah, whatever man," and then that'due south an extreme case of a child and a teacher who just, it was non very responsive. That'due south where I kind of larn, homo, you've got to be up the whole time and be walking around and be responsive to your students.

Tim: Yeah, for certain. For sure, you've got to get upwardly and get around.

Andrew: Yeah.

Tim: Moving on, though. I want to talk most number 2 on our list. Terrible art teachers are the ones that teach the exact aforementioned lessons every single year.

Andrew: Yeah.

Tim: I hate it. You lot and I accept talked nearly this on the podcast, how nosotros just change up our lessons all the time. 80% of our lessons are new every unmarried year and patently that'southward non the case with anybody, but man, you've got to be trying something new. You can't go through a 30 yr career teaching the aforementioned curriculum each i of those 30 years. You got to get out at that place and y'all got to try some new things.

Andrew: Yeah. Yeah. It's just, I think the kids eventually will get crazy if they know like, "Wow, non only did my brother practise this project, my parents did this product."

Tim: Yeah.

Andrew: I can't imagine as a teacher just like, I feel similar after I've washed something, let'due south say three years, or okay, that's virtually the max I've always had something go. I'one thousand starting to feel bored by it.

Tim: Yes.

Andrew: I'm not going to say 100% scrap it, but I might practise it real real different, tweak it, practice information technology in a dissimilar order. You got to keep it fresh or information technology's just not good.

Tim: Yeah, no doubtfulness and similar yous said, it just gets stale so quickly and I don't know, part of the excitement for me with art teaching is just constantly being on the motility, constantly being able to try something new and if you accept that abroad from it, what … I don't know. I don't know how much there is to bask about art didactics if you're just doing the same thing over and over and over again.

Andrew: Yes.

Tim: Yeah, but anyway. Let'due south hitting number three.

Andrew: Yep. I've got some other ane. Number three is, and I don't run into this 1 as much simply I feel like maybe it happens with teachers who have been around and kind of seen a lot come up and go and you get this sort of aloofness or something, but I've known a few teachers who kind of, they almost start to believe the negative hype nigh fine art teachers. They're willing to believe that they're less of import than the other core classes.

Tim: Yep. Aye.

Andrew: "I can't do that considering I'm just the art instructor," or "You know, it's but art. It'due south okay, I guess," and there'south a real sort of resignation to the fact that we are under-appreciated and I know that we're under-appreciated, simply nosotros should not be resigned to that fact. Nosotros should exist a little bit irritated, a little bit angry and we should stand up up for ourself and say, "I demand the aforementioned sort of respect and rights and accommodations that the quote unquote real teachers get merely because I'm this special teacher." That's bogus so, I don't know, go a little burn down in your belly people and don't put up with that stuff.

Tim: Yeah and information technology frustrates me when I run into teachers doing that because it's really disheartening to exist putting all this try into building this program and then somebody else in your district is just equally meek timid leg, "Oh, I don't really want to fight for annihilation because we're just fine art," like what am I doing over here and so? Why am I putting all this effort in if yous are doing exactly the opposite? You simply want to shake those people similar, "Stand for yourselves. This is important. What nosotros practice is vitally important to what'southward going on in our schools and nosotros need to fight for that," and taking a backseat to anybody is not helping us out.

Andrew: Yeah. Yep. Well, I've got one that's kind of related. Number four, I feel like it goes mitt-in-hand with those people that have kind of got a example of being resigned to their 2nd-class condition is people who are always negative, and I know I've said this before and I tweet nearly it quite a bit, I hate it when teachers talk about, "Oh, God. It's Mon." Man, exist quiet. Yous have an awesome task. You have the respect and the responsibleness to shape immature minds, you ought to be jazzed and excited to become to work on Monday. Don't tell me how excited y'all are for a Friday. Don't tell me, "Oh, in that location'south only 178 more than days left til summer." Be quiet with that negativity. I don't want information technology.

Tim: Yeah, exactly and information technology does. Information technology just brings everybody down. How do yous expect your kids to get excited if you can't exist excited at all?

Andrew: Exactly, exactly.

Tim: I don't know. That type of negativity just spreads and it's another thing that frustrates me quite a bit. 1 thing that I had to laugh about. Melissa Purtee, ane of the AOE writers, she's been on the evidence and a lot of people know her but she said that she teaches, or used to teach with a guy who would always be like, "Oh, just got to make it 10 more years," similar we're counting downwardly. "Simply 120 months til my retirement." I don't fifty-fifty know, how do you get that miserable? I don't know. That mindset needs to change considering it's not practiced for anybody.

Andrew: Well and I've e'er thought, information technology'south not like anyone goes into education because they desire to buy a mansion and drive Ferrari's. It's not the most lucrative paying task. If you don't love information technology, y'all're not going to like it so get the heck out of the way with that. I don't know, I don't have a whole lot of sympathy for people that bring that much negativity to the tabular array.

Tim: Yeah. I completely hold and at i bespeak, you love kids or you love didactics and that's why you're there so it may have a trivial flake of effort to rediscover that, but it's worth doing. It's worth finding. All right. I'grand going to motility on to number v here. Terrible art teachers a lot of times volition just completely avoid a material that they don't similar, or completely avoid a cloth that they don't want to teach, like, "Oh, it's way too much work to do. Clay, my kids don't want to do clay. Oh, I tin can't handle the cleanup with painting and where am I going to shop all those?" Don't shortchange your kids because you don't desire to put in the effort. Your kids deserve that experience and you need to notice a way to give it to them.

Andrew: Yeah, I couldn't have said that better. Everyone has a bailiwick or a material that they experience picayune less confident in, okay, only 2 things. Y'all're probably more than competent and able than your students and so it's fine.

Tim: Yeah.

Andrew: And two, that's your job to go get more competent in that area then because otherwise, like y'all said, yous actually are shortchanging your students.

Tim: One mindset that it took me a long time to get into as a instructor, but I call back more people demand to think nigh things this way, information technology'due south okay to learn along with your students.

Andrew: Exactly.

Tim: It's okay to say, "Oh, guys. I am not adept with watercolor but yous know what? We are going to explore this together. We are going to figure this out," and I remember it's worthwhile to admit that to kids and they can see you growing. They tin come across yous learning at the same time they are so even if you're non smashing with something, like you said, you're better than the kids are correct now and even if you're not, learn together. I guess I look at it this manner, if yous're not going to teach that to them, who is?

Andrew: Exactly.

Tim: Yeah, so in that location's … I don't know. You lot really demand to leave of that mindset of trying to avoid a fabric, trying to avoid a material, trying to avoid a media and really modify upward what y'all're thinking about and make certain yous go into that. And then, on the reverse finish of the spectrum from fugitive things, okay, number six for me is those teachers that are as well hands-on and they "adjust" student artwork where they'll spring in, describe things, make sure that everything looks perfect and step in in front end of the kids and change their work. That bothers me to no end.

Andrew: So I got to enquire you a question. Put yourself in the shoes of a middle schoolhouse kid, dorsum when you were in middle school and high school, did you have an art instructor that-

Tim: Yes.

Andrew: Okay. Y'all had an art teacher that did that to your work, huh?

Tim: You're just assuming.

Andrew: No, the style that you said, "Yes," I thought you knew the question. You lot were like, "Yes, that totally happened to me and I have scars and issues associated with it." Did you accept a teacher that did that to your work?

Tim: Non that physically changed my work but she was very much virtually like, "This is your subject field matter. This is what yous're going to practice." Very fiddling creative freedom which I recollect kind of falls into this too, only it actually bothers me to merely see teachers be similar, "Oh, no. That's not how you lot draw it. Allow me draw it for you lot." What is the child learning at that point if you're going to step in every time they make a mistake?

Andrew: Well, then I got to say, this has actually simply recently come up up in my own classes and I take a policy that I'1000 very vocal with and I tell my students right off the bat, our very offset consignment, I say, "If you always witness me messing with your artwork, drawing on your artwork, putting paint on your artwork, erasing something and y'all did not requite me expressed exact permission to bear witness yous something on your artwork, you have my permission right at present to smack my manus every bit hard as yous want," and the await on their faces, I was actually a petty flake stunned. I was like, "Wow, you lot guys have like really been waiting to smack a teacher similar a piffling fleck too much."

They're like, "Really? We can really do that?" I said, "Yes. Heed, I had a teacher when I was growing up who if you had a question, information technology was, 'Well, let me meet information technology,' erase, erase, erase, do information technology for you and oft it was no improve, if not worse, than what you had to begin with." It's like, human, all of my buying and all of my pride in this work has kind of been undercut because, like you said, this instructor is also hands-on.

I don't play that game so I tell my students, "Listen, if I can't draw information technology for you with my finger and kind of evidence you without making a mark where something should get or how you should practice something, or if I can get a flake piece of newspaper off to the side and demonstrate it for you, then I'thou doing something wrong and I'm a bad teacher, and then don't let me do that." Information technology'due south worked really well. I don't touch her fidget with the student's artwork. I feel like when I was a new teacher, I used to revert back to that a piddling just now information technology's not an upshot.

Tim: Yeah, and I'm kind of the same way. If I e'er felt the need to demonstrate what's going on, you accept to go kids permission outset and they'll say, "Hey, tin can you show me how to draw this?" You're like, "Yeah," and catch another slice paper or if it's only something really modest I'll ask, "Oh, hey. Can I testify y'all how to blend this correct on the drawing here?" Y'all take to become that permission before you lot mess with that.

I desire to ask a follow up question with that i. What exercise y'all think the mindset is of teachers that suit students? Why do they do that? Is it i of those things where, do they call back that the quality of the student piece of work reflects their quality as a teacher or where are they coming from with that?

Andrew: I think that's 100% it and I call back it's a misunderstanding. I know that I tin can teach an crawly lesson and I can be a skilful teacher and I can actually take students learn a adept deal of stuff. They've learned a lot, but they might have kind of a dog for a finished product. It might just not look that great so the finished product does not equal my efficacy as a instructor or educatee learning.

I remember also many teachers buy into that falsehood and some of it is because I think administrators might force per unit area them into thinking, "Where are these beautiful pieces of artwork that mom and dad tin can hang above the sofa or that we can put up at the parent-instructor conference night?" Well, I think a lot of teachers are moving away from just beautiful finished products and more about the process then I recall that'southward what it is. I recall those teachers are overly concerned with, "Their work equals my quality as a teacher," and it'due south but not truthful.

Tim: Yeah, yeah. You're right. We practise demand to get away from that mindset, the phrase that we always hear, "Your classroom is not a production factory," similar information technology's non almost having the perfect brandish. It'due south almost learning and sometimes learning is muddy, sometimes learning is messy and you lot're not always going to stop up with that finished production. Anyway, information technology'due south probably time for usa to move on, so why don't you requite us number seven?

Andrew: In some ways, a lot of these things are interrelated and I think some of them, I retrieve you can near summarize a lot of them down to a teacher who'due south not being flexible. So number seven is, and we've all worked with people like this, whether it's an art teacher or maybe another instructor, teachers that turn down to utilise and adjust to technology.

Tim: Yes.

Andrew: I've known teachers who literally will look at this modernistic contraption of email and information technology's similar, "Oh, no. No. Not going to practise the emails." Are you serious? You're not going to communicate with parents in the way that anybody communicates? You're not going to create a class website fifty-fifty though you're being mandated by your commune to do that? You're not going to upload grades on your online information direction organisation? You lot're not going to learn about new apps? Come up on, human. Y'all accept to evolve with the times.

For some reason, I think it's like technology is 1 of those things where nosotros have a lot of people who simply draw a line in the sand and it's like, "Nope, I'm not going to learn that," and it's like, "Well." There'south some sort of car slogan, bumper sticker that says, "If you don't like change, yous're going to like irrelevance a whole lot less," or something along those lines.

Tim: Yep.

Andrew: We have to exist adaptable, right?

Tim: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Yeah, I think that'southward true and to play devil'south advocate simply a little flake, I recollect there'due south a adept statement to be made about sort of limiting the amount of engineering that is used in the art room considering so many things nosotros do are easily-on and it's very tactile feel which our kids are getting less and less of. I think it's okay to limit that but similar you said, there are then many ways to incorporate engineering with introductions and lessons, and working on but … Oh, how practice I desire to say this? Communicating with parents, communicating with other teachers, and if you're ignoring all of those opportunities, similar you said, you're going to get left behind.

Andrew: Right. Well, so we could even make like a subset 7A of things that terrible teachers do, which is like the opposite of refusing to use engineering science, which is like jumping on every technological bandwagon merely because it'due south new and shiny and glitzy, then those people take an iPad with like 300 apps-

Tim: Aye, very true-

Andrew: -that you're never going to utilize and it's most similar this digital learning environs for the kids. It'southward so spastic and it'south like, "Hey, we're going to do this app for i day," and then they never learn information technology again or use it once again, so I think that that's bad. Ultimately I think the notion of using applied science, there'southward so many things out there that tin can make your chore easier and make you be a better teacher. Why the heck wouldn't you lot prefer those things?

Tim: Exactly. Very, very well said. All right, so let'southward close it out hither. Number eight on the list of eight things that terrible fine art teachers practice: subject area either too much or too little. Here'south my thought on this. Obviously nobody wants that complimentary-for-all going on in your classroom, merely a lot of teachers permit information technology just thinking that art is the place for kids to express themselves and testify who they are, which that'due south wonderful just we tin still take parameters for behavior. Nosotros don't need to let kids do anything and everything they want to do behavior-wise and it'south really frustrating to see teachers just kind of let discipline go also much.

Then at the other finish of the spectrum, it really bothers me when teachers are far too strict, peculiarly in art course. Art class should be a joyful, heady place. I've seen teachers that brand kids sit down in their chair and they do not speak a word the unabridged course period and were just sitting there, who knows, working on art shading value scales without talking or interacting or doing any sort of collaboration or even only bones interactions. You lot're sucking the life and you're sucking the joy out of your classroom when you do something like that.

Andrew: I've only seen a couple classrooms like that and they're and so weird because they're so contrary to what really, like you said, an art room should be, a joyful, exciting identify total of energy. I phone call them "art sweatshops." It's just similar, "Heads downwardly, faster, non right," and the kids are merely like, you can tell in that location'southward no joy. It's drudgery to be there. It's like, "Gosh, you lot don't have to run a classroom like that." In some ways I think teachers do that because they want to look similar all the other teachers in the building kind of thing.

Tim: Yep. Yes.

Andrew: It's most like we know we're special. We know that we're the square peg in the round hole but even so some teachers don't want to be that so they're going to imitate what all the other teachers are doing. It's like, at some point you lot merely got to comprehend the fact that we are kind of a different bird and let's embrace that while still having, similar you said, some command, some parameters because we are unique.

Tim: Yeah. Again, that's, I can't say it much improve than that. That's actually, really well said. All correct, and then we're going to go alee and close this prove out. Similar I said in the intro, everyone, don't remember that we're just dwelling on all these negative things considering we're as well talking about how you go effectually that, we're talking about the other options that you lot have, and we're going exist dorsum next week to talk about the eight things that incredible fine art teachers do, then Andrew, are y'all going to be prepare for that one?

Andrew: I will be equally equally fired up. I know I came across a little fiery tonight. It's but because I had some like late-night java, so I'one thousand all sort of fired up, so yeah.

Tim: Well, I think it fabricated for a skilful chat. If we can re-create that energy for next week then I recollect nosotros'll be in skilful shape.

Andrew: Yeah, it'll be easy to practice.

Tim: Yeah, so we'll see y'all next week for the incredible things that art teachers do. Yeah, accept a good night and we'll talk to you and so.

Andrew: Sounds good, man. We'll talk to you after. Bye.

Tim: Thanks Andrew. All right. That was a fun episode and a fun conversation. I'm really looking forward to adjacent week's episode likewise. Now, as we talk about all of these things that terrible fine art teachers practice, don't become upset if there's something that really strikes a nerve with yous. That's non a bad thing. In fact, I'd argue the contrary. If y'all find yourself doing some of these things, and information technology bothers you, we're not calling you out, we're only wanting you to exercise amend and then think most how yous can reflect on your pedagogy. Think near whether these ideas are relevant to what you're doing in the classroom and mayhap accept some of those suggestions that we offer about how to exercise things differently, some alternative routes, some unlike ideas that you lot can bring in and that you lot tin can utilise to make your teaching improve.

Like I said, side by side calendar week we're going to talk about all of the incredible and astonishing things that art teachers exercise too. That's going to be part 2, giving yous some suggestions on what to do differently, what to do improve to make your classroom and your instruction move to that next level. I hope you enjoyed this chat. I hope it makes you think nigh what's going on in your classroom. Like I said, if it touches a nerve, that's a adept thing considering we want y'all to reflect and we want you to practice everything that you can do to make your educational activity better.

Fine art Ed Radio is adult, produced and supported past the Art of Education with audio applied science by Michael Crocker. I want y'all to become sign up for that Studio Fibers course that I talked about in the intro and yous can as well see more than from the podcast on artedradio.com. Make sure yous sign upwardly for our weekly Art Ed Radio email and now that you're back at school, like I said, you lot're going to want those emails coming every Tuesday, so go sign up. We'll be back with the follow-up episode next Tuesday about incredible and amazing things that fine art teachers tin can do and we will see you then. Every bit e'er, thank y'all for listening.

Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional person didactics contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education Academy (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors employ terms in the manner they are almost often talked about in the telescopic of their educational experiences.

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Source: https://theartofeducation.edu/podcasts/8-things-terrible-art-teachers-ep-030/

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