How to Become an Art Teacher?

Introduction of Art Teacher
Art teachers are great artists who help children become more like themselves rather than more like everyone else… inspire children to paint their dreams. Educate youngsters that the world without art is just “eh.”
Similar Job Titles
- Art Instructor
Typical Job Responsibilities
What do Art Teachers do?
An Art Teacher would typically need to:
- Provide art lessons to elementary, middle, and high school students to pique their interest in the subject.
- Assist students in expressing themselves via the medium of art, using artistic abilities and approaches to school requirements.
- Design and provide developmentally appropriate art methods and art history education to students based on their needs and interests.
- Establish and communicate clear learning objectives
- Give pupils lectures about the arts and their various forms and traditions.
- Improve pupils’ aesthetic awareness and appreciation
- Demonstrate and help students in using various techniques and media to create art pieces that are appropriate for their artistic ability.
- Encourage students’ creativity and self-expression.
- Create an environment that encourages students’ intellectual, social, and emotional development.
- Monitor lessons to ensure that students interact positively and politely.
- Keep student art records, artworks, and portfolios in files.
- Students’ performance on the topic should be assessed, evaluated, and graded.
- Provide art supplies and materials to students
- Instruct students in proper care and use of tools and equipment
- Keep track of and manage the inventory of art supplies and materials.
- Pay close attention to motifs in the pupils’ artwork that imply difficulty in their personal lives.
- Provide feedback on each student’s progress to key stakeholders.
- Art contests, demonstrations, and exhibitions must be planned and presented.
- Participate in educational programs such as an after-school art club.
- Organise field trips to museums and art galleries
Standard Work Environment
A typical art classroom varies by school, but in middle and high schools, the art room typically has large tables, easels, storage cabinets, and at least one sink for clean-up. Large tables may be used in elementary classrooms, or the art may be taught in the regular classroom. While there are standards for the art curriculum, it is considered an elective. This implies that the topics addressed and curriculum chosen vary from school to school and instructor to teacher. In certain school districts, an art teacher goes between schools to teach skills to a variety of classes. Where there is no strict dress code to follow, art teachers can use their clothes and their sense of style to communicate and connect with their students, without stepping beyond the boundaries of professionalism.
Work Schedule
Most days, art teachers have a regular work schedule with a 9-5 employment with school vacations and breaks thrown in. You may be invited to come in during breaks to participate in teacher training programs or to run summer camps. On occasion, you may be required to work in the evenings.
Employers
Finding a new job may appear challenging. Asking their network for referrals, contacting firms directly, using job search platforms, attending job fairs, leveraging social media, and inquiring at staffing agencies can all help Art Teachers improve their job hunt.
Art Teachers are generally employed by:
- Public Schools
- Private Schools
- Charter Schools
Unions / Professional Organizations
Professional associations and organizations are a valuable resource for people looking to further their professional development or interact with other professionals in their industry or employment. Membership in one or more of these organizations looks wonderful on your resume and helps to strengthen your credentials and qualifications.
Workplace Challenges
- Negative perceptions of the course by students and parents
- Inadequate teaching facilities due to lack of funding
- Scheduling difficulties
- Lack of family support
Suggested Work Experience
Begin compiling a portfolio of work while still an undergraduate. This should include instances of your thoughts rather than merely schoolwork. Enter as many competitions and shows as you can to start getting your work noticed.
Prior relevant job experience of at least two years is preferred. Volunteer involvement with community art initiatives, for example, can be beneficial. While studying, you may be able to find paid art-related employment through initiatives at summer camps and youth activity centres.
Recommended Qualifications
Art instructors in public and private schools serving students from kindergarten to grade 12 typically hold a bachelor’s degree in art with a concentration in education. A specialization in fine arts, visual arts, or studio arts is advantageous. An authorized college or university should have a dual program in which you can get a Bachelor’s Degree while also obtaining your teaching certification. Art teachers who work in a college or university typically have a graduate degree, usually a Master of Fine Arts.
Professional artists may be able to substitute substantial experience for a degree, but they may still be needed to finish some education training, which may include courses in child psychology, teaching methodologies, classroom management, and educational foundations. To be valid, the programs must be accredited by appropriate authorities.
Art teachers who teach in the community may not need a formal degree in the area and must instead demonstrate their mastery of numerous art forms, their creative aptitude, and their ability to educate others.
Certifications, Licenses, and Registration
To teach in public schools, you must have certification or a license from the Department of Education that is appropriate for your grade level and subject area. Art majors, like those in other sectors of education, must pass fundamental competence exams in reading, writing, and arithmetic early in the program. After completing the program, the future art teacher will be required to pass art-specific pedagogy assessments. For teaching at some or all grade levels, certain programs may additionally require passing grade-level generalized examinations. The results of such tests will differ depending on where you take them.
Projected Career Map
You can broaden your horizons by attending courses in art-related areas and eventually become a fine artist or a ‘portfolio’ worker. You can also apply for traditional graduate jobs and training in fields such as finance, insurance, journalism, and public relations.
Job Prospects
If you have a thorough understanding of various forms of art, enjoy sharing your expertise, and want to inspire creativity and expression in children, a career as an Art Teacher could be suitable for you.
Beneficial Professional Development
An art teacher may choose to specialize in teaching a specific age group or media, such as paint, pencil, charcoal, pastels, or photography.
Professional competence can be maintained through school-provided in-service education programs and self-selected professional growth activities. Transferable talents are highly valued by employers. Successful growth and expansion of the curriculum into a creative, multifaceted, and multicultural program may be areas of achievement.
A thorough understanding of drawing, painting, photography, ceramics, printmaking, 2D & 3D design, and computer graphics is also required. You must demonstrate a strong commitment to offering kids chances for growth and learning through after-school art enrichment programs or extracurricular art courses that explore novel mediums.
Conclusion of Art Teacher
Successful art teachers bring out pupils’ inner artists to help them develop their talents and self-confidence. Teaching is a shared experience in which personal vision and engagement with others can be realized in a revitalizing way through art.
Advice from the Wise
Creativity necessitates bravery. Don’t let the din of other people’s opinions drown out your own.
Read Also: How to Become an Art Director?
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