Visual Arts in Alabama High Schools

What do you do if you find yourself with out…money, supplies, job, room, or whatever? Cry, curse, call a friend, or all of the above?  Well, it might feel good or cathartic to do any or all those things the only thing that will really help is to get in there and work, experiment, and take chances. I know that you feel that you are the only one facing these situations but you aren’t there are others who have “been there, done that, got the t-shirt”. Find them and they will help you even if it is just to give you ideas. This is the time to think outside of the box.

If you need money, find things you can do for free or that cost little to zero money or that use supplies that the school already supplies. Xerox machines for a variety of things, last conference I taught a workshop on handcoloring photographs using students photos, colored pencils, and a xerox. Teresa Gillum taught a workshop on tin can airplanes. Going to the fall conferences is an excellent way to pick up pointers. You could try grant writing. As you can tell I am not the best writer in the world but I have written and received about $17 thousand in grants. How did I start? I googled grants for art. Enjoy.

No job, go online the ALSDE has a terrific postings list at http://www.alsde.edu/TeachInAlabama/ . It is a great place to start. If you have some experience and a Masters degree try sending your resume to some junior colleges or regular colleges or universities. There are opportunities out there just open the doors.

No room? Well that is a tuffy…never experienced that one but…wait once…I looked around for any spare space and ended up teaching in a coal bin in a Victorian mansion. Some times there are little secret places that no one wants you might get it if you ask. I have been in a trailer for a while and that is not all that bad, I have had to tote water in buckets both in and out. It can be done but it is all about your attitude. Remaining positive. Remember it is all about the students and your classes and what they can learn.

I guess that is what you should REALLY do, focus on what you love…teaching art to students, sharing your love of art with people…your passion.

Good Luck next year.

This is a subject that needs to be addressed. You wake up, go to your school, and you find out you don’t have a job…pro-ration. I can address this with respect and sympathy because it happened to me. Not tenured, last hired first well you know the rest.

I have heard through the grapevine that 1000 teachers in the arts were let go last week. Wow! what is going to happen to Alabama. Well those of you that still have jobs will certainly have even larger classes and even less money to work with. The good news is you will do it. Right now you don’t think you can but you will because there is that one student in 3rd period/block that comes to school everyday just for your class. Yeah, you know the one or ones I am talking about…the one that you share your own art supplies with or get something for free and you give it to them because you know they will appreciate it. It will be hard but you will do it. As I told a dear friend last year, “Keep the focus on your students and your classroom” and that will always get you through.

Now those of you like me…examine your assets. What do you do well that you might be able to use or do until this mess passes? I don’t know what that might be for you but I trust everyone has some…use them to get you through this rough patch. If you want someone who understands write me or comment. Perhaps your thoughts, fears, or suggestions could help someone. I will protect your identy if you wish me to do so. Know that my thoughts and prayers are with you all.

I have a very good friend that told me she was so upset about what is happening in our state that she is running for school board in her area. There you go…now thats an idea…

Well our year is winding down. We have finished all those crazy shows…we have our winners…and we have those who will always be winners to us and we will carry others in our hearts forever that’s what teaching is all about. Now what do you do? Just slide till the end of the year? As good as that might sound it is usually frowned upon by your administration. Try something fun and different maybe a group mural or group project of some kind; a legacy piece or something of the sort. I always like to evaluate my year…what could I have done better or what do I need to keep…basic teaching housekeeping.

What are you going to do this summer? Try the Alabama Technology Conference. It is fun, cheap, and gives you CEU’s or whatever they are called. http://ti.alsde.edu/aetc/

Many colleges offer workshops for art teachers…SCAD, SAIC, NHIA. (That’s my teaser for you to look them up) If you can’t get into them this year put it on your radar for next year.

What about a chapter of Art Honor Society? Do you have one at your school? Try one for next year. You could even tap your rising Juniors and keep them in your art program their Senior year.

Most of all care for yourself this summer as an ARTIST. Do ART!! It is our life’s blood and if you have not re-tapped into that make it a priority for this summer. Buy a sketchbook and sketch if nothing else. We can not teach art if we do not DO art.

I love you all talk to you later.

What is AAEA and what conference? Well if you are reading this online you may be asking these questions. If you are reading this off a xerox then you probably just met me or are meeting me. AAEA stand for the Alabama Art Education Association. The conference is/was in Decatur, AL October 23-25. Why conference? It is a super way to network…old school way…and to learn new things…and to share experiences and exasperation and realize that you are not the only high school art teacher who can not seem to get your students to follow directions (written, oral, etc). It is a super way to get to know what is out there for your students and you as artists…because we are all artists…don’t forget.

This blog site is your connection to me. Who am I? I am the secondary school chairperson for the state of Alabama. If you have any questions about teaching high school art I may not know the answer but I know I know someone who does. I have been teaching 24 years in GA, NC, & AL. I have taught pre-K through college and from the Georgia Retardation Center to highly gifted, inner city, rural, and private. (I get bored easily.) LOL Please feel free to ask me what you need to know. This is a totally safe site and I will never post anything that would embarrass you or if you don’t want it posted. I will only post under first names to maintain your privacy. I love this site because it really allows me to do that. When you write it will not appear until I post it. so be patient. I am very fast though.

Be sure to check here for competition updates. I will try to stay current. If there are any I am missing let me know. I strongly encourage you to participate in these competitions so that you can build your students’ self esteem. I don’t know if your students are like mine but sometimes my best are other teacher’s….not best…shall we say. These shows help them to feel successful about themselves in some area of school and I have seen that be the difference between staying in school and dropping out.

The next thing I want to encourage is for you to start a NAHS chapter at your school (National Art Honor Society). If you are a member of NAEA (National Art Education Association) [you can Google it] that is all you need plus some students who really excel in art. This really works about the same as the competitions for our students in building self-esteem. You should do it for them. If you have an Art Club already just link it to that and make it easier for yourself…just do it.

Well that is it for now. Let me know when I can help you ever.

Odd name for something that is entirely true. We may have had a rocky start but now that our feet are wet we now have sore wet feet. LOL. Anyway, no matter how long you have taught the first weeks of school are always different…you learn the students’ names, personalities, proficiencies, and preferences…then you work with them. I tell my students that I take them kicking and screaming down the path to success. Perhaps you feel that way as well sometimes. We all do.

Next month is the Alabama Art Education Conference in Decatur, AL and I hope to see you all there and meet some new faces. Don’t be sad if you have not yet registered it is never to late. I have not even registered yet. But I will probably this week. I will be presenting two workshops and hosting a meeting of secondary art teachers probably over lunch.

Next item to cover…it is never to early to start thinking about art competitions. Please check the links section of the blog site for http://secondaryartsalabama.edublogs.org for information on all the major competitions as I hear about them. Currently there are about 3 but soon to be more as we finish up the fall and head into winter. Please email or send comments to me with anymore that you stumble across. Remember, for some of our students ART is the only place they shine…so let them sparkle. Don’t deny them the opportunity just because of cost. You might be surprised what they can dig up. One big new thing is for the Scholastic Art & Writing competition you don’t actually send the work. You just send a digital image and an 8X10 glossy. The only send a matted piece if you are a winner…I think…a gold key winner at that. So it is easy and you have plenty of time to plan ahead.

Well we all will have a few short weeks until we start up again. I want to remind everyone to be sure to renew their membership in NAEA. For those of you unfamiliar with the organization it is the Nation Art Education Association. What good is this organization to you, you might ask? Well it would depend on how much you want to improve yourself and give your students the best. This is a group of artists who are educators who wish to share their knowledge and expertise with…you. What do you give them? Your knowledge and expertise. You might not think you have anything to share but you would be wrong you have a lot to give.

There is also a conference in October in North Alabama. If you should be able to find out more information on this event in another folder on this site. There will be a student art show, a teacher art show, workshops (two taught by this humble author) as well as other very capable educators from throughout the state, fun and frolic. I really recommend these conferences. I have been attending them for years and even if the workshops aren’t great the talking with fellow art teachers is really great. It is super to know that you aren’t the only one out there. Especially if you are the only art teacher in your school or even in your county or even in your region.

I will try to keep you current on the latest on art shows and while I am talking about that let me tell you my personal philosophy on competitive art shows for students. I realize that there are a number of you that don’t believe that competitive art shows but I feel that students’ need some validation from outside resources plus it is a good thing for us as well to be gearing our students’ education to more contemporary art movements and having someone judging our skills as educators. We are constantly being judged by individuals who know nothing about our subject and it is nice to be evaluated by individuals who at least understand what art is supposed to look like. It is a terrific way to validate our program at our schools to our administration who. lets face it, thinks of our class as a glorified babysitting service. I know we all know what we give our students but it is sometimes an ethereal thing to some people. The competitions are a concrete way of giving people a reason to value the arts. What does it do for the student? If they win it gives them the same kind of motivation that their peer group gets from being a star in a sport, or on stage, or getting the best grades. I don’t know if your students are like mine but they usually never fall into those categories.

The last thing I want to talk to you about is AP art classes. Think about doing it. I did it for the first time last year and it was a great challenge for me. Let me tell you that you can send off student portfolios to AP without having your school endorsing an Advanced Placement course in art for your system. I don’t know if you are like me but I always had those special students who worked outside of class and inside of class and sometimes inside other teacher’s classes on their art. They are the perfect candidates for this opportunity. The work chosen for the breadth can be anything that they have done in their career of doing art. The concentration is a collection of work that they explore a subject. The quality is just their five best actual pieces of art. Anyway, think about it and if you have any questions ask. I am no expert on it but I will try to help.

Remember the bottom lines is that we do what we can to give our students the best we can give them. Whatever it takes however we can. My bottom line is to help my students’ feel better about themselves and feel good about what they are doing in my class.

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Hi,

I am your new Secondary Representative for the state of Alabama on the Alabama Art Education Association.  My name is Schmidt and I am your hostess. I hope to use this to post all kinds of information that you might need to teach Visual Arts in the High School. I will have links to blogs and sites of other high schools in our area. If you have questions about anything on the site if you comment they will come directly to me. If they are to embarassing I will not post them but email you an answer. If I think your question might help someone else I will post it so we can all learn.

I will be teaching a workshop at the Decatur Conference in blogging and you can set up one of these for yourself and your class. I really recommend doing it even it is only to publish the student works. It is also a great way to critique and you can get hits from all over. Students can invite their friends and so on and so on. Once you get one going you can email your site and I can put it on my blogroll.

Also I have posted instructional videos online for students to learn from or to re-learn from if you have some of those that you have to tell the same thing over and over again. You may have very gifted students and don’t have to do that. tee-hee. I have an example of a video on this site under Podcasts in the Categories.

I would love to post images that your classes are creating and if you don’t send them I may have to nab them where I can. I can be quite a crafty person with a camera and screen capture so remember nothing is sacred. Beware: I will never list full names on this site- just first names and school.