• Subscribe to Blog via Email

    Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 4,531 other subscribers

Reader Mailbag

Reader Mailbag

From time to time I receive comments on blog posts or emails from readers that might be interesting to other art teachers.  These new Reader Mailbag posts will highlight questions and comments that I think are intriguing and you will too!

Elizabeth asked, “Do you think it’s crucial to be an extremely talented artist yourself if you’d like to teach it?”

 

Wow, that is a great question!  First, I think it depends on what level you are planning to teach.  A college ceramics professor better have a deep understanding and skill set of working with clay.  An elementary teacher needs to be more of a “jack-of-all-trades” and have experience working in a wide range of media and the ability to engage little kids.  An artist teaching in a private setting can teach to their specialty.

I can tell you my own personal story which has shaped my opinion.

Growing up, I always loved art.  I enjoyed learning about art and making things.  I was not the best in my classes.  In fact, I struggled with things like perspective, working with clay and understanding color mixing.  I could kind of drawing realistically, but not consistently and not without a lot of effort.

When I got to college I didn’t think I was good enough to major in art.  If I had to submit a portfolio (they didn’t require it at the time)  I probably wouldn’t have gotten in to the program.  I took one general study art course for a fine arts requirement, and the teacher wrote me a nice note at the end of the semester encouraging me to pursue art.  Honestly, that is what sealed my decision to join the art education program.  By the end of my 4 years at college, I had improved SO MUCH!

I think if you want to teach art you should feel confident in your basic art abilities and understanding of a wide variety of materials OR be willing to spend a lot of time learning before you start teaching.

 

When I went to college I took about two or three studio classes (plus general studies like science, math, education courses) per semester which taught me a LOT about how to draw, paint, sculpt, use clay, etc.  When you are spending many, many hours a day immersed in a particular media you will learn.  For example, one drawing class met for 2 hour sessions three times a week.  Spending that amount of time concentrating on drawing really trains your eyes to see better.  Now I am still not what I would call an extremely talented artist, but I feel confident enough to lead a class of kids in learning how to see shapes, begin shading and develop composition and ideas.  Clay was another area I had little experience in.  Nothing can replace a good instructor and spending hours with your hands in clay.

My coursework also included several classes on the art of teaching art.  We learned how to pull together lesson plans and curriculum, how to incorporate art history and criticism and about how to develop children’s artistic growth while keeping in mind where they are at developmentally.

Teaching art is more about just being able to draw realistically or being an amazing artist.

 

You can be an amazing artist but not understand how to relate to students.  Let’s face it, a large part of teaching is tending to children’s needs and emotions… John is feeling sad because he is frustrated by his drawing.  Kayla hurt her leg at recess and now that is bothering her.  Karina feels upset because Tristan and Julie did not play with her today.  Antonio has no experience using a scissors… and so forth.

I think if you have the personal motivation to improve your weaknesses, you will do great!  Say your weakness is in printmaking (which mine was, because I never took a printmaking class in college), you can do a lot of research online and read books about printmaking techniques.  We are lucky now that there are YouTube videos for everything.  If you feel like you are lacking in a wide range of art skills, I would not recommend doing one of those alternative programs where you can get your certification quickly.  If you are lacking in basic art skills and understanding of how materials work I recommend a traditional program where you are immersed in art studio classes to gain the experience and knowledge.

So that is what I think!  Now I want to open the conversation to you…

What do you think?  Do you think it is important to be an extremely talented artist to become an art teacher? I’d love to hear what other art teachers think.

 

Also, do you have a question you would like me to talk about on my blog?  I would love to answer your question in my next Reader Mailbag.  It can be about anything!!

 

 

Tagged , . Bookmark the permalink.

About Marcia Beckett

Marcia is an elementary art teacher and loves painting, drawing, sculpture, art journaling and clay. Her blog, Art is Basic, features many exciting art projects for kids.

3 Responses to Reader Mailbag

  1. Cyn says:

    I don’t think you have to be an incredible artist yourself to teach art at the elementary level. You should have a deep understanding of art so that you can help students improve their art. I agree you have to be a “jack of all trades”.

  2. Frankie says:

    No. I don’t think you need to be great artist yourself in order to teach kids at the elementary level. It is more important to learn how to successfully present the material in order to interest and engage the children than in showing them what you can do yourself. It’s the best job in the world because you get to “play” with so many different materials – yes, jack of all trades is a good description.

  3. I think it is important for art teachers to create on their own and flex their creative muscles but I do not think you need to be the technical best unless that is the only medium you will be teaching. Just like you said I would expect a ceramics only teacher to be able to produce excellent quality ceramic work. I teach elementary and your story is a lot like mine. I can achieve technical excellence but it requires hours and hours of focus that I don’t typically have the time for being a teacher and mom.

    Instead my personal art work is whimsical, silly, and really reflects the major amounts of time I spend with the little ones. It is a refection of me and every summer when our district has the annual Art Educator Exhibit at a local museum I proudly submit my work.

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.