26 classes of projects? Oh my!

by Elizabeth Van Allen  for scribblesbyartteachervanallen.blogspot.com
 

I hang up 'no name'
projects on clotheslines
near the door so there's
no missing them!

Keeping 26 classes of students straight is no easy task.  Every week I teach between 590 & 700 students, depending on this year's enrollment.  Getting all of their names right might a challenge, but it's a piece of cake compared to keeping track of their artwork!  

I'm going to go all interdisciplinary and do a little math: if each student is working on a project that involves a planning paper and a good paper, that's between 1180 and 1400 pieces of paper in play at any given time.  Now add their journals and past projects that are ready to be given back, and factor in students who forget to (or can't) put their name on their work.  If you don't have a good organizational system in place from day one, you're drowning in random papers and upset students.

After years of trial and error, I've finally come up with a system that works for me.  Hopefully there is something here that you can use to improve your systems and iron out any issues you may be having!
 

The secret to success: insist on
clear, thorough labeling of all projects!

Student Accountability
My students are all pretty familiar with these phrases:
No Name=No Grade
Leave it out=Lose it
Not put back=Not the teacher's fault
Once students realize that I actually say what I mean and I mean what I say, we have very few issues with missing projects.

Organization by Day & Class 

Storage for Monday's classes

Say it with me folks... color coding.  My storage cabinets are organized by weekday, then each class has a recycled cardboard container from a big box store that's wrapped with colored duct tape.  Red for the Kinders, orange for grades 1-2, yellow indicates special education, green says grades 3-4, blue means grades 5-6 and purple is for my 7th and 8th graders.  First class of the day is on the top shelf and last class goes on the bottom.  Every box has the weekday, class, teacher, period, and grade level printed on the tape.
Note: this color coding system is just for me.  If I shared it with the students it would just confuse them because their rows are color coded too!

Keeping Track of Classwork

Above: Color-coded row folders
Below: Color-coded table tags

Organizing smaller 2D projects and journals by row or group helps keep papers in the right place.  It also makes it easier to distribute and collect them when the time comes.  Make sure everything is clearly and boldly labeled to prevent the frustration of re-explaining and re-organizing!  My students sit in 4 rows: red, yellow, blue, and green.  I label everything that goes out to them based on their row name/color, from their storage folders to their supply baskets.  I even have them write their row color on the back of their projects right next to their name, class and date!  This may sound like overkill, but if (or when) a project is misplaced this makes it way easier to re-file without wasting lots of time.

No matter how well you are organized there is always room for improvement.  Each school year brings it's own challenges, so when it comes to organization I'm always adjusting something.  Click on these links to see some of my ideas on assignment boards, materials and handouts, streamlining seating charts & paperwork, and grading methods.

What was your most successful organizational adjustment? 

Prepare for Art Teachering Success!

by Elizabeth Van Allen for scribblesbyartteachervanallen.blogspot.com

Being a good teacher is hard work, but being a successful teacher takes some serious trial-and-error.  As a gift to other art teachers out there, I'd like to share ten tips and hard-learned lessons I've learned that make my everyday teacherin' life a little bit easier.  Everyone makes mistakes (see #10), but in sharing my experiences I hope to help other teachers enjoy more moments of success and better preservation of their sanity.

Preparing to Succeed: 

An Art Teacher's Guide

My grab-and-go kit: Rory's Story Cubes,
color & shape bingo, Beautiful Oops, paper,
instructions for simple book making projects,
crayons, colored pencils, and coloring pages.

1. Have a grab-and-go class coverage kit ready at all times
When another teacher's parent conference or last-minute absence happens during your prep period, you might get called on to cover their class.  Getting advance notice of a coverage is often a luxury, so prepare yourself with activities that are suitable for a variety of ages and are easy to modify!

2. Always leave your classroom sub-ready

You never know what is going to happen after you exit school for the day, so make sure that nothing is left to chance.  Lock up things that are not for students, have sub plans easily accessible, and make sure the room is tidy.

3. Streamline your paperwork

I like to have frequently used data at my fingertips.  Behavioral notes & attendance are on my seating chart, and contact info & grades are on a roster sheet.  The pages face each other in my binder for easy access.

4. Find an organizational system that is easy to maintain, then stick with it

Have easy-to-understand systems for organizing student work, paperwork, and student procedures. Being disorganized in an art room is like trying to clean up a gallon of paint with one paper towel.  It might work eventually, but you'll have a heck of a mess on your hands!

5. Keep guidelines clear and simple
When you clearly post simple rules and procedures, you eliminate confusion and frustration for you and your students!

6. If a student can do something, let them

There is no reason to clutter your mind with project distribution when you are tasked with facilitating the education of 30+ students while also keeping them safe.  Use your first few classes to teach and reinforce classroom rules adn procedures, then hold them accountable.  Make your classroom a more student-driven educational environment while keeping your eyes and ears open for teachable moments and potential issues!

7. Common sense is not the same for everyone

Positively worded rules get better results!

Dictionary.com defines common sense as sound practical judgment that is independent of specialized knowledge, training, or the like; normal native intelligence.  Remember: sound and practical looks very different to an adult from the suburbs than it does to child from the inner city. 

8. Become indispensable
When school and district budgets get tight, art education is one of the first areas to get cut.  This is often due to the perceived expense of running a quality program.  Make yourself an important part of your school's culture and a valued member of the school community by volunteering for initiatives and building committees.  Being an intrenched, highly visible, and POSITIVE influence makes keeping you in your position a higher priority.

My art advocacy bulletin board 
features Eisner, Gardner, and 
tons of art-based career choices!

9. Be an informed advocate
Advocating for your subject, program, and students makes you a force for positive change.  Gandhi is often quoted as having said "Be the change you wish to see in world." Show, tell, and demonstrate why and how art is important, but check your facts first.  If you're not sure where to start, try looking up the philosophy research of Elliot Eisner through reading his work or hearing him speak.  You can also print a copy of his 10 lessons the arts teach to post in your classroom!

10. Learn from your mistakes
We all make mistakes, it's part of life.  The biggest mistake that I made during my first few years as an art teacher was taking myself too seriously.  It stunted the development of my relationships with both my students and other adults.  The first few years of teaching is hard enough as it is, I made my own life far more difficult than it should have been by leaving my sense of humor at home.  Recognize when you've made a mistake and take the time you need to reflect.  What went wrong?  How it could be fixed or done better in the future?  Ask for help when you need it and don't forget to celebrate your victories... you earned them!

Bonus tip: Test run every project with the exact same supplies that your students will be using.  It may be a pain in the neck, but troubleshooting your lessons in advance makes for a much smoother and enjoyable classroom experience for everyone!

What would you add to the list?

Share with us by commenting below!