New Art Teacher Survival Guide: Tips for Your First Year as an Art Teacher

Being a new art teacher can feel overwhelming at first but here’s some ways to prepare you to be a successful first year art teacher. I’ve been teaching art for over 25 years at all grade levels from K-12 and throughout my career, I have discovered many tips and tricks to make teaching art the best job in the world. Here’s a few of my basic tips to help you not only survive but thrive as an art teacher.

Create a Classroom Community

Making personal connections with your students is just as important as creating a learning environment that is welcoming and responsive. I am a big believer in community building activities and the rewards of creating a family-like culture in your classroom. Collaborative art lessons are one of the easiest ways to build relationships, encourage teamwork, teach valuable social skills and most importantly, prepare students with 21st century skills for their future. I like to begin the school year with a collaborative art lesson, and sprinkle them in year-round. This not only reinforces bonds between students but also adds variety to your art lessons which helps keep students excited and engaged. Check out my blog post Collaborative Art Ideas for some quick lessons and ideas that may only take one class period and provide your students with a valuable experience.

Decorating Your Room

Everyone wants to have an art room that is colorful, fun and inviting. I like to decorate my classroom with colorful and educational posters that reinforce art concepts and art history. Many schools encourage cross-curricular literacy. My solution is to display a vocabulary word wall to reinforce reading and comprehension of art concepts. Most of my art lessons make a connection to the Elements of Art and Principles of Design, so I created posters about those concepts that I can reference as I am teaching. I also hang an art history timeline, color scheme posters and a color wheel to inspire and educate my students. Check out my blog post Art Classroom Decor: 5 Essential Art Classroom Poster Ideas for more suggestions and ideas for decorating your art room.

new art teacher survival guide examples of art classroom posters — Examples of the classroom posters I use to illustrate elements and principles of art, color schemes, and art history time periods.

Organization and Supplies Management

A well-organized art room is essential for smooth operations. There is a misconception that art teachers are messy and unorganized. Okay, there might be some truth to this, but with a little self-discipline I have learned the value of an organized art room. I label cabinets and supplies clearly so students can easily locate them. I use trays, baskets and bins and fill them with supplies needed for each lesson. This allows me or a student helper to pass out supplies. The time I spend organizing and planning goes a long way to reducing my stress and having the day go more smoothly. It is just as important to have procedures for cleanup. I like to set a timer for a few minutes before class ends so everyone knows when to stop working and start cleaning up so my room is ready for the next group of students.

Setting the Tone for Creativity

Bell work for art class — A student working from their binder of art worksheets during first minutes of class

Establishing a routine at the beginning of class helps students adjust to the new learning environment, gain focus, and transition into a creative mindset. This routine might include a worksheet or bell work at the start of class. Or it could be sitting on the carpet silently taking in an artwork or preparing questions to share with the class. Using bell work, sketchbook prompts, or art criticism activities provides everyone a few minutes to adjust to a new learning environment. This time at the beginning of class also allows you a few minutes to prep for class, distribute supplies of take attendance. Read my blog post The Beauty of Bell Work: How to Use Bell Work in Art Class for ideas and resources you can use in your classroom.

Classroom Management

One of the first challenges art teachers face is maintaining order in a space that encourages creativity. Students come to your class expecting to have fun, get messy and enjoy a little unstructured time in their school day. Establishing clear rules and routines is crucial. From day one, set expectations for behavior and emphasize respect for art materials and peers. Many schools have a positive behavior system in place. I would suggest following the school policy in your classroom too, if applicable. It is important for students to know your class is like any other class. Allow students to be creative, have fun and enjoy exploring new art materials while also following the rules and realizing that there are consequences for bad behaviors. Check out my blog post Back to School Tips for Art Teachers for more simple and manageable goals for a new art teacher to prepare for day one. Also read my post Art Classroom Management: 9 Essential Tips for Art Teachers for more ideas.

Building Connections Through Communication

Many of my students tell me art is the favorite part of their day. I’m just as excited to see them, in fact, I tend to exaggerate my excitement at times. Students feed off your energy. You will get back what you put out there. It is important students feel safe and comfortable in your class, because making art is all about personal expression. Create a supportive atmosphere where conversations about their work are encouraged. I rarely sit at my desk, I’m often swirling around the room sharing positive comments, giving a helpful tidbit or genuinely talking to my students about their day or their interests. I use student questionnaires to learn about their interests and strengths at the beginning of the school year but continue learning about them through one-on-one conversations.

The Curriculum Question

If your district or school provides you with a curriculum, then follow the provided curriculum. If you find yourself with no direction, then create a scope and sequence for the grades you teach. I always use the Elements of Art and Principles of Design as the initial building blocks. Next, I try to see how to include a variety of mediums. For example, clay and paper mâché are perfect when teaching form. After I have assigned a medium to an Element or Principle of Design, I try to make an art history or cultural connection. Every lesson does not have to be connected to an art movement, but it is a great way to help students learn about the genres of art. They do not have to copy art genres exactly. It can be a loose connection. For example, I’ve introduced students to the Mexican muralists Los Tres Grande without creating a mural.

Lastly, think about building skills over the years. For example, kindergarteners can use primary colors while second graders can start mixing colors and tints. Sixth grade students can learn 1 point perspective, while eighth grade students can learn 2 and 3 point perspective. Once you have planned the content you will teach in a year, fill in any gaps with your favorite mediums or techniques, while also including some fun holiday or seasonal lessons. Write out your plan for the year on a single page of paper so you can easily reference it throughout the year.

How to Teach an Art Lesson

So you have a lesson you want to teach but don’t know where to start. I always start by making a teacher example of the lesson before teaching it to my students. This allows me to anticipate problems students may encounter and gives me ideas on how to chunk the lesson into bite size steps. I think it is important to provide students with challenging art lessons that allow them to rise to the occasion. However, I always allow flexibility within the lesson to accommodate varying skill levels. I always encourage creativity and originality while also providing structure for students who need it.

Keep ’em Busy

No matter how hard you try to keep everyone at the same pace, there will always be students who finish their projects earlier than others. Students who have nothing to do often become a distraction for those still working, so it is important to have pre-prepared activities on hand to keep them busy. I keep an early finishers activities bin for students to use when they finish the lesson before the rest of the class. This has been a lifesaver. It includes a variety of one-page printables with activities such as grid drawing, pixel art and coloring sheets. Plus, in a pinch, they can serve as a sub plans. For more early finisher ideas, check out my blog Early Finishers Art Activities: How to Answer “I’m Done, Now What?.

Early Finishers Art Activities examples — Examples of the Early Finishers Art Activities I created.

Let’s Talk About Money

Allocate your art budget wisely, prioritizing essentials like pencils, erasers, paint and quality paper. Quality art supplies are important but should be age specific. For example, Crayola has some of the best art supplies for elementary art students. Liquitex is far more expensive and better suited for middle or high school students. It is also important to teach students how to care for supplies so you can conserve materials and stretch your money further. I literally call oil pastels “my babies” and ask students to take special care when using them because they are so fragile.

Parent donations are another great way to get supplies for your art room. During Open House I use sticky notes with specific requests or provide a QR code to an Amazon wish list. Consider fundraising for specialty supplies or ask your PTA to help purchase costly items for your art room. There are so many ways to raise funds for your art program. Read my post 8 Art Teacher Fundraiser Ideas for more ideas.

Implement a System for Organizing and Storing Student Artwork

Make sure your students write their names on the back of their art work. Middle or high school students can write their period number by their name and elementary students can write their grade and homeroom teacher’s name. I use large plastic containers or boxes labeled by homeroom teacher or period to keep artwork organized throughout the year. I keep all artwork throughout the year so I can display it in the school, have an art show or enter their artwork in art contests. Towards the end of the year, each student gets a paper folder that is big enough to fit their largest artwork. I pass back all of the artwork in the bin and put it into their portfolio to take home. This is a tangible reminder of their artistic growth throughout the year.

Grading and Assessment

I am not going to lie; I don’t like grading artwork. Grading artwork is time consuming and can be very subjective. This is why I use rubrics to provide clear criteria when grading. I create the rubrics to focus on creativity, craftsmanship, knowledge, and skill development. By showing students the rubric before beginning a project, they know exactly what to do to get full credit and how they will lose points on an art project.

examples of art rubrics — Examples of some of the rubrics I’ve made for my art lessons. Click to enlarge.

In addition, my students and their peers use the rubrics for peer-assessment and self-assessment. These assessments also include an area for comments. Feedback should be constructive, helping students understand their strengths as well as areas for improvement. I always preach it is more about the journey and how we get there, rather than the final destination. Check out my blog post Art Rubrics: How to Create Simple Grading Criteria for more information on keeping grading from stressing you out.

Emergency Preparedness

So, your classroom is organized, you plan every lesson perfectly, students are engaged and respectful, yet emergencies can still happen! It is important to prepare for unexpected absences before they happen. When an emergency strikes, the last think you want to be doing is getting ready for a sub. This is why I suggest the “Sub Tub”. Create a box, binder or files with copies of lessons, worksheets or activities that will keep your students busy while you are gone. Include seating charts, any important information and briefly explain routines that a substitute would need to know. No need to explain painting procedures. Trust me, do not leave a sub a painting lesson. Put any lessons currently in progress on hold and provide a sub with lessons that are easy to oversee and use limited art supplies. Check out my post Making Simple Emergency Sub Plans for more specific ideas.

Welcome to the Best Job Ever!

I hope you can use some of these ideas to make yourself feel more relaxed, confident and prepared. Just work on one thing at a time and you will soon have a well-oiled machine. I think being an art teacher is the best job ever and I hope you will too. As the expressions goes “Love what you do, and you will never work a day in your life.”