Become an Art Teacher With a Degree in Art Education
Art education degrees: painting a picture of art teacher salaries, schedules and job perks.
If you are an artist who wants to share your talent with the next generation, teaching art at a public school might be your dream job as an art teacher. Seeing young students improve their skills and find their own creative voice is incredibly satisfying for any teacher. But before beginning your art teacher career, the first step is to get a degree in art education.
An Art Education Degree: The Art of Teaching Art
A typical day in the life of an art teacher may begin with a general art education class for third graders, and the next hour may involve working with a group of sixth graders to make an animated short film. But life as an art teacher is not all paint and paper. Here are some duties and activities that art teachers do on a typical day:
- Planning class projects and assignments
- Ordering and maintaining supplies
- Grading assignments and monitoring student achievement
- Maintaining classroom discipline
- Familiarizing students with well-known artists and art history
- Filing administrative paperwork
- Attending staff and teacher meetings
- Meeting with parents
In a community college or university setting, both full-time and adjunct teachers are usually required to attend meetings, keep office hours and complete other administrative tasks in addition to classroom time.
Art Teachers In the Classroom
Most students love to come to art class. Some might see it as "fun" rather than "work," so maintaining discipline may be more difficult than in most classrooms. But patience, organization and a sense of humor are all tools that come in handy for an art teacher. When the day is done, it is always rewarding to see students' creativity develop.
Post-secondary art teachers don't face the same challenges, but an art teaching job at a community college may be more difficult to come by and pay less than full-time public school jobs. Many college art teachers are part-time or adjunct, teaching to supplement their art careers.
Art Teacher Salaries
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2009, people holding full-time secondary education art teacher jobs earned an average salary of $54,420, along with teachers of other specialties. The range can depend on several factors, including location—many larger urban area schools pay more, depending on the state in which you teach—and degree level—the more experience and education you have, the higher you rank on the teacher pay scale.
Both private and public school teachers often work over 40 hours a week during the school year, so it may be difficult to find time to work on your own art projects. But with summers off, teaching art is a great way for artists to hold steady, meaningful employment and also have time to create art and travel.
Art Education Degrees
To land an art teacher job in a public primary or secondary school, you must have an art education degree as well as a state or national teaching certificate. Some states require teachers to complete a post-graduate art education degree as well to fulfill certificate requirements. Check with your state's Department of Education to see what the requirements are in your area. Only master's program, PhD or EdD graduates are considered for art teacher jobs in community colleges or universities.
Developing student creativity is an important part of every art teacher's job. Whatever age your students are, as an art teacher you may instruct them in many different media and techniques, including drawing, painting, sculpture and art appreciation. In public schools, student art graces the walls of every classroom and hallway: school is the easel for students' work, making art class an important part of the school community, and giving students a sense of self-worth and pride. For information on other artistic positions, such as drama and music teaching, see our art teacher career page.
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Artist-in-Residence Programs
One way to gain experience teaching art is to apply for an artist-in-residence program. Many schools, museums, community centers and other organizations have programs, where artists spend time creating art and teaching, or giving back to the organization in other ways.
In Chicago, for instance, the Art Resources in Teaching Program (ART), sends artists into classrooms to work with elementary and secondary school teachers in schools that don't have full-time art teachers. This is a great way to spend time in a classroom with students while getting a taste of what teaching art in a public school is like.
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