“You're An Actual Teacher, Not Just An Art Teacher!”

by Elizabeth Van Allen 

for scribblesbyartteachervanallen.blogspot.com/

That statement, made by an English teacher, was honestly meant as a compliment. I decided to take it as it was intended. Until this was said to me, I didn't realize that my peers had no idea that my education in art and teaching was on par with or exceeded their own. I know that many art teachers (and music, PE, computers, etc.) often feel overlooked and under-appreciated. The truth is that we are required to be highly educated, qualified, and certified teaching professionals; often in more grade levels and with more subjects to cover than our 'core' teaching counterparts.

This all began near the beginning of the second semester when one of my co-workers was literally run over by a student who was chasing her friend around the classroom. The teacher ended up having emergency surgery and was on a health leave for the rest of that year. After a few weeks of unsuccessful substitutes, my principal made an executive decision and re-assigned several teachers to his classes for the rest of the year.

I was assigned to take over one of that teacher's 7^th grade Social Studies classes with about a day's notice. After I had been with these students for about a week, a friend of mine started relaying positive comments about my teaching style that were made to her by another colleague. This pleasantly surprised English teacher's classroom happened to be on the other side of our shared folding wall. For anyone out there who has not had the pleasure of teaching in a school with fold-away walls, they do almost nothing to dampen the sound between two rooms. In the short time that I had been teaching in that room this previously out of control class that did nothing but yell, sing, fight and break things in the classroom was coming to class relatively on time, staying there, raising their hands to ask questions and adhering to a very rigid routine every single day. I used this opportunity to open a dialogue with my colleague next door. He soon started observing the class and taking notes on what I was doing to facilitate such progress, and I was happy to share my time and techniques with him.

The secret to my success with this class was simple. I provided these students with the same type of structure and firm adherence to rules that I use in my art classroom. My consistent behavior facilitated an atmosphere of respect and high expectations. Our routine was set in stone and the students knew what to expect every day. It's not that I had some magic formula, I simply enforced and reinforced my expectations of respect until it sunk in. It also didn't hurt that I don't flinch at calling any parent for negative behaviors or positive progress, be it after school or during class.

Classroom management in the art room should not be dependent on promises of paint, clay, or any other special material or experience. In fact, an art teacher's classroom management has to include having control over potentially dozens of children who are all using messy stuff and getting them all to clean up after themselves on a schedule. That we art teachers are 'actual teachers' is an understatement in my opinion. None of us are perfect and every class has different needs, but with honest dialogue between colleagues and minds that are open to different ideas, together we can make any class want to succeed.