Reasons Why I Love Teaching Art
Back to school season is starting up in a couple of weeks for me and I have been reflecting on the perks and benefits of teaching art. I’ve seen and heard other teachers talk about the hard parts of the job lately, both online and in person. Between students that are below expected reading level, parents that struggle with discipline and opt out of engaging with their child’s education, administrators that don’t know how to support their staff, and the overwhelming amount of paperwork, professional development, expectations and intensive training and certification just to become a teacher, it’s a lot to deal with and I feel it’s not beneficial to my mental health to constantly hear about the negative sides of the job. So to help my own mental health, and maybe for anyone who reads this, I want to focus on the positive aspects that make all of the struggles worthwhile.
Disclaimer: I am not going to deny that teaching 35+ students all with different needs and abilities 5 days a week for 8 hours a day is difficult. Teaching is hard and there are many days where I also do not want to go to work. I will not discredit the hardships that my peers, colleagues and even myself go through. It is normal to not like your job sometimes. Not a single worker has ever gone to their job EVERY SINGLE DAY filled with optimism and excitement. It’s not possible to maintain the that standard and to expect otherwise does a disservice to everyone who has felt shame for not living up to those expectations. It’s okay to not like your job and its healthy to talk about the struggles and needing to vent, but it’s not okay to spread negativity with no intention of correcting it and letting the negativity ruin the atmosphere for everyone involved.
Now with that out of the way, let’s get to the fun part that you’re here for. Reasons why I love my job (in no particular order):
1. My classroom is a fully equipped studio space. I have all the means to make anything I want. Pottery wheels, a kiln and clay for sculpting; canvas, paper, brushes, and paint for all kinds of wet mediums; ink, carving tools and screens for printmaking; all sorts of dry mediums that I have full access to draw and experiment with; several industrial sinks for all cleaning purposes; tons of shelves, cabinets, and closets for storage; and double doors that lead to a patio outside for some ventilation and fun, messy art activities. I can keep going, but for the sake of brevity, I’ll stop here. Many artists have to pay rent for a studio space or set one up exclusively at home, but I have my home studio, AND I get PAID to use my classroom studio.
2. Freedom in my curriculum planning. I have full creative control over what I teach in my classroom and how it gets taught. I determine what the projects are, what the major themes and ideas that my students learn, and the ability to switch things up if I get bored of something. Yes, there are specific federal standards of learning that I have to teach, but how I go about teaching it is entirely my choice. It’s great.
3. I love my summer time and holidays off from work. There is a stereotype of thinking teaching is easy because of the long breaks from the classroom. It is true that we get the time off, but what most people, not in education, do not know is that teachers do not get paid for summer break or holidays. Teachers are paid for their contract days, but chose to have their paychecks spread out over a 12 month period instead of the 9 months they work. Teaching is known for not having a high pay scale (and this can be huge problem for teachers that are the sole income source for their families and have high bills to pay and sometimes will take up a second job to make ends meet), but I personally would not trade my summers off for more pay since I need that time to recover from burnout and prepare for the next year.
4. The job security is one less thing for me to worry about. Unlike other artistic professions, I will always have a place to go for work, with a set schedule and a set payment plan with benefits. All professional artists, me included, must have time management and rely on intrinsic motivation and self discipline to make quality work. Freelance artists are often their own bosses, managing their own time, budget, self marketing, need to buy their own insurances and benefits and are often paid on commission. I do not do well with relying on myself for these things, so I don’t need to worry about them if I am working for someone else. I show up, do my job, and at the end of the day I can mentally checkout without worrying if I will haven’t worked enough.
5. Adaptive skillsets can open doors to future opportunities. Teaching requires several different hats to be worn and necessitates a wide breadth of skills that can easily transfer to other career paths. I am a teacher, but I am also a nurse, a counselor, a caregiver, a part-time parent, a referee, a mentor, a cheerleader, a professional organizer, a budget manager, an interior designer, etc. I’ve heard many stories from former teachers saying that they entered another career path really easily because their bosses took notice of just how valuable their skills are.
6. Variety is the spice of life, and the different kinds of art that I get to teach my students keeps me invested. In my position I am fortunately the teacher for all of the art classes. This means that in a single day, I can switch from painting, to drawing, to sculpting, to designing, and everything in between. If I am hung-up on one project, I can switch to another and come back to it later. I know I would get bored quickly if I stuck to only one type of art the whole day, so by teaching different classes, I can do what interests me in the moment.
7. The relationships with my students and colleagues are one of the best perks. I do have a leg up from some of my peers in teaching art, which is commonly seen as a fun class. Every teacher will have students that don’t click with them and, in worst case scenario, dread coming to their class. I am also included in this as art is not always a fun class for all students and they just took it because they thought it would be easy or there wasn’t another class they wanted to take. However, overall I think I have less reluctance than some other teachers and the students who really love art are always excited to come to class. I like to joke around and play games and have fun with my students while also giving them tips on how to improve and help them work through failure. Sometimes my room is the only safe space a student has where they can relax and be themselves. There is a reason why art therapy is a separate school of study from other forms of therapy. Emotional connections are what I live for.
8. Being a regular recourse for the entire school. It’s best practice for teachers to engage their students and often encouraged to have them make a project to help understand certain material. Making art is fun and memorable so I am often a consultant to my colleagues for how to make their projects happen. I don’t always have the answers, but I’m a pretty good sleuth and can find where to get the answers. Paper, paint, markers, glue, tape, aprons, sinks, whatever you need for art, I got you and I know how to simplify the tasks to reduce frustration, the amount of problem solving, and any potential safety hazards I can detect. I am also a sounding board for anyone seeking emotional support. All emotions are valid and true and social-emotional learning is inherent to my subject matter. If you have problems, come talk to me. I love listening to others and encourage it to anyone and everyone.
9. My mentor used to say, “teachers are local celebrities.” I took that to heart, because, whether we know about it or not, our names get brought up a lot in conversations. Parents will know us based on what their children say, community members will know us based on our involvement outside of the classroom, students and other teachers across the district will know about us based on our conversations about each other, etc. The amount of times I’ve had students run up and say hi to me or wave from a distance really proves this point. Or when I receive a generous gift from a parent because of the impact I’ve had on their child. I have gotten comments from strangers on the street when they witness an interaction between me and my students saying they can tell how much I care about them. I love that my students feel comfortable and safe enough to say hi enthusiastically when not in the classroom, it warms my heart.
10. I have a passion for what I do. I am very lucky to have found a career that suits me and that I love. If I’m going to spend the majority of my adult life at work, then I might as well do something I enjoy. I understand that not many people have that opportunity to work somewhere they enjoy. Sometimes a job is just a job, and that’s okay. I’ve been there with all of my previous jobs while working hard for the one I currently have. I’m grateful that I love what I do for a living and all the factors that went into helping me pursue it. I unironically work my dream job. It may change in the future, but for now, I’m perfectly content with where I am right now and for the foreseeable future.