Taking a look back in time, I remember being incredibly nervous about what my first day of class would look like. Up until that point, there had always been some type of safety net: my supervising teacher during internship, my professors during field experience, etc. I became woefully aware that suddenly I would be all alone! As a new art teacher, I remember my biggest concerns being classroom management and have a lesson that would go smoothly. In this article, we will go over several tools that will new art teachers build confidence and be prepared for their first day of school. As a new art teacher, there are several things you can do as you plan for a successful first day of school and a great school year.
Visit Your Classroom and Check Out Your New Digs
Before the school year starts, all new art teachers will definitely need to check out where they will be teaching. My first year, I was hired about two weeks before school started so I did not get to decorate my room or anything. However, I still had the principal allow me to come in and take a look at where I would be teaching. Since I am an itinerant teacher, I have to travel among three different elementary schools. I was able to arrange a day where all three principals would be available to allow me to come in and see my spaces. Because this was during our first year back after COVID hit, the schools were still closed for disinfecting, etc.
At one of my schools, I had my own office and storage space but no classroom. At my second school, I did not have an office or any space of my own (my supplies were stored in the teacher workroom). At my third school, I had my own classroom complete with adequate storage space. At all three schools I was required to teach from a cart that first year (this is what my district did to “minimize student movement throughout the school building” as much as possible during COVID). For all three schools, I knew that I needed to find an adequate cart that I could commandeer for my use. I also used the opportunity of visiting my classrooms to take stock of what art supplies had been left behind by the previous teacher. This directly impacted the plans I had for my first few weeks of art classes. I definitely didn’t want to show up with lessons about watercolor only to find out that I had no paper or paint!
If you have the whole summer, get with your administrator and see when you can come in and work on your classroom (if you are lucky enough to have one). I would definitely try to put my stamp on the space, but without going overboard. You will want the kids to come back to a refreshed space, but your time will be better spent working out where your desks/tables will be, where you will place your drying rack to avoid congestion, how you will distribute cleaning supplies, etc. This is a time to put function over form! Yes, we all want our classrooms to look nice but think more about how your students will live in the space. How will the way you set up your classroom work with your classroom management plan? Trust me…take the win for being organized and functional over cutesy for your first year as a new art teacher.
Up Your Classroom Management with a Solid Summer Reading List
I strongly believe that art education graduates are least prepared for the classroom management aspect of teaching. Most of us finish our programs with strong art content knowledge. Because art has been a passion for us, we usually know the art stuff like the backs of our hands. During my college program I was required to take many different art classes (painting, drawing, ceramics, photography, etc) but only a single course on classroom management. As someone who has been teaching for a few years now, I can say that your classroom management should be your first priority as a new art teacher. The better your plan, the better your odds at success.
I recommend that you snag the books listed below from your local library or Amazon and use the information found there to come up with your own classroom management plan. Consider what works for you (what is your classroom setup like, expected class sizes, your personal style, etc) and start planning from there. What you come up with will not be perfect, but it will give you a much better chance of success than going into the school year with no plan in place. With some experience under your belt, you will see changes that need to be made to your plan. This is a normal part of the process for new art teachers! Just treat any plan that you make as a living, breathing document that will grow and change as you see fit. Below, I have listed some books that I recommend you read before finalizing your classroom management plan.
The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher
The First Days of School by Henry Wong is considered to be the holy grail of classroom management. In the book Wong covers the characteristics of being a an effective teacher. These characteristics include having positive expectations for your students, being a good classroom manager, being a good lesson designer and being a teacher-leader. I liked this book because it gave me a good overview of possible problems that I should consider when planning, it provided a lot of external resources that I could use to learn more, the content was research-driven and there were several examples in the book that I could use in my own classroom. I strongly recommend this book for any new art teacher!
There are chapters in this book that cover how to introduce yourself to your class, how to arrange seating, how to start a class, how to take roll, how to record grades, how to have an effective discipline plan and more. Because of the wealth of information, I still go back and read this from time to time. My copy also came with an DVD to use alongside the book (which I have never used since I stream everything I watch…lol). I am sure that you can find a copy of this book at your local library, but if not you can rent or buy a copy from Amazon.
The Classroom Management Book
The First Days of School is considered to be prerequisite reading for The Classroom Management Book by Harry Wong. This book contains stories and examples from working teachers. There are more actionable tasks in this book, which I really enjoyed. The book includes an example first day of school script, which breaks down a first-day timeline (7:15 greet students at the door, 8:15 transition to morning meeting, 8:20 morning meeting, 8:40 break and game time, etc). Each timestamp has a bulleted list of activities and explanations so the information is crystal clear, even for new art teachers.
In addition to this, the book lists 50 classroom management procedures which are each covered in great detail. The procedures cover the first day of school, student specific-tasks (tardiness, unfinished assignments, etc), classroom-specific tasks (bathroom breaks, turning in papers, etc), instruction, special needs and teacher-related issues (substitutes, volunteers, parent-teacher conferences, etc). There are also example first-day/first-week plans for elementary, middle and high school teachers included in the book. There is a wealth of knowledge in the pages of The Classroom Management Book for new art teachers! I don’t think that any new art teacher would regret buying this book.
Classroom Management for Art, Music, and PE Teachers
Classroom Management for Art, Music, and PE Teachers by Michael Linsin is a great book because, unlike the books listed above, it targets issues that only specialist teachers have to deal with. As a new art teacher, you will quickly learn which teachers run a calm, smooth classroom and which do not. You will not need to visit their classes to find out…you will see it as their students come to visit you. If they yell out in class or get out of their seats without permission in their gen ed classroom, those behaviors and habits will show up in your classroom too.
Art, music, library and P.E. teachers are the only teachers on campus that see hundreds of students each week. The perception that art, music and PE are not as important as the core academic subjects also colors how students, teachers and administrators will interact with you. This book considers these points, which is a rarity for us resource/specialist teachers.
There are several areas that this book goes over, including relationship building, temperament, lessons, routines and procedures. Linsin’s writing is very conversational so this is an easy read. Currently, you can read it free if you have a Kindle Unlimited account. I am sure that you could also find a copy at your local library, too. Even if you decide to skip this book, I recommend that you go to Michael Linsin’s website and get added to his email list. He sends out lots of helpful classroom management strategies each month, in addition to all of the great articles on his site. I found this especially helpful as a new art teacher.
Create a Sub Plan Binder
During my first week at a new school, my daughter developed a cough and fever. Because this was during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, we were required to stay home and isolate while we awaited the results of her COVID test. My students literally had an art sub on the very first day of school. While I hope that you are not planning to miss a lot of work, you should still have substitute plans in place.
I made my sub plan binders by putting several lesson plans, work examples, my class schedules, seating charts and any special details that I needed to share with the sub into a 1″ binder. You can make this as simple as one lesson plan that all your art classes do throughout the day or you can tailor it for each grade level. Some art teachers will allow the sub to continue working on lessons that they have already started (literally picking up a lesson where you left off) instead of doing a one-off lesson.
I have tried both a generic sub plan and letting the sub continue my in-progress lessons. Because the finished work has never turned out the way I wanted when a sub has taken the helm, I prefer to do a generic sub lesson. I simply continue my work with the students the next time we have a scheduled class. This puts the other classes a week ahead of the ones I missed, but I prefer that to finished pieces that I can not use in art shows.
How to Build Your Art Sub Binder
For my binder, I put my class schedule and contact information in the front. Next, I put in 3 simple lesson plans for each age group or grade level (K-1st, 2nd-3rd grade and 4-5th grade for example). I make sure that each lesson plan is labeled with the grade levels it can be used with. In the next section of the binder, I added a class roster and seating chart for each class (making sure to indicate what grade level each class is). I divided these with tabs for each day (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc). I leave my binder in a prominent place (such as the corner of my desk) at all times so it can be easily found.
I leave word with the sub (via email and in a short paragraph at the front of the binder) that they can choose to teach whichever lesson they are comfortable with for that grade level. Some subs are super nervous about drawing, while others lean into it. I give my subs choice because I figure if they are enjoying what they are teaching more, they will have less of the “it’s a sub, let’s go crazy” behaviors from my students. Whenever I have an unexpected absence, my sub can use this binder to figure out what to do for the day. They can use the schedule to see which classes they have and from there choose a grade-level appropriate lesson to do with them.
I recommend that the sub plans only require the most basic materials and that the lesson does not require the sub to have Internet access to complete it (our subs can not log on to school computers). I keep basic supplies (pencils, scissors, crayons and markers) on each classroom table and a bin of “free draw” copy paper out at all times, so those are the supplies that my subs use. My other supplies are under lock and key so I don’t do sub lessons that require access to those things. This way I do not have to physically go to the school, leave copies, etc. This system works great when the absence is unexpected. If you have a planned absence you can alway prep supplies beforehand for your students if you choose to do so.
Plan Your First Few Art Lessons
Before classes begin, all new art teachers should have lessons for your first week or two prepared for each grade level. If you are like me and teach Pre-K through fifth grade this may sound like a lot of lesson planning, but it really is not. Consider this:
- Similar age groups can do the same lesson that first week or two. For example, kindergarten and first grade could do the same lesson. I prefer to have as much variety as possible (ditto for your students), so the beginning of the school year is about the only time that I do this.
- If your students get art once a week, a week’s worth of lessons is only 7 lessons (Pre-K through 5th grade each have one lesson). That is only 14 lessons to plan if you want to plan ahead two weeks.
- If you are like me and have to travel to multiple schools, you will reuse your plans at each additional school. For example, if you do watercolor flowers with 4th grade at School A you will repeat the watercolor lesson with the 4th grades at School B. For traveling teachers, a couple weeks of lessons can actually buy you 4-6 weeks to plan your next cycle of lessons. This is one of the few silver linings about having multiple schools!
- If you can get at least a couple of weeks of lessons planned, you will have a nice cushion that you can easily maintain throughout the school year. As long as you plan a week’s worth of new lesson each week, you will be constantly ahead. This looks good when you need to turn in lesson plans to your admin. Also, if you ever have to care for a sick child at home or if you decide to take a long weekend to relax, you won’t have to scramble and throw together lesson plans while you already have your hands full…just use a little bit of the cushion!
Things New Art Teachers Should Consider As They Plan Their First Art Lessons
When you plan your first lessons, I would recommend that you keep it simple. Consider what supplies you have in your classroom. Depending on your district, you may not be able to purchase new materials the first day you arrive. For me, I can not order new materials until October when the new fiscal year starts. The only exception is if I have unspent money carried over from the previous school year. When this happens, we are expected to spend whatever was left in that first month of school. This takes pre-planning the year before and as a brand new art teacher you will not have had that luxury. Plan for the materials you have in your classroom and don’t assume you will be able to buy more right away.
Another reason to keep your lessons simple is because you should use those first couple weeks to get your students into the rhythm of your classroom routines and procedures. A strong start with classroom routines and procedures ensures a smoother school year in the long run. While you will want your students to start making art right away, remember keep things simple!
As you plan your lessons, have a child do them with you. I use my own children as guinea pigs for every new art lesson that I come up with. I teach them as I would the students in my own classroom. They see the same Powerpoint presentations, YouTube videos and/or demonstrations that I have planned. They go through the lesson using the same materials that I plan to use. As we go through the lesson, I am able to pick up on any aspects of the lesson that are confusing or unclear. If some part is boring, they tell me and I adjust. When I stand in front of my students teaching the lesson, I am more confident because I know what I am teaching has already been tested. This was incredibly helpful to me as a new art teacher.
How to Be Successful As a New Art Teacher?
As you begin your first year of teaching, it is natural to be nervous. It is natural to make mistakes. Don’t get discouraged, adjust and keep teaching. As I have mentioned, your number one priority as a new teacher should be to develop and implement an effective classroom management plan. If you have a routine or procedure for all parts of daily instruction, there will be less disruptions in your class and you end each day more satisfied than educators that are attempting to teach while in survival mode. It is impossible to teach effectively if you are responding to disruptions constantly or if you are unprepared. Plan ahead, be consistent and you will have success! Good luck to all the new art teachers out there. Please, share your advice or questions in the comments!
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