Art teachers instill creativity and innovation in their students. They educate students on how to solve problems in a variety of ways. They inspire people to make mistakes and try new things. They encourage kids to think rather than memorize. Art teachers make learning enjoyable and exciting for their students. They teach numerous techniques, philosophies, and genres of art, among other things. They inspire children to be imaginative and bring their ideas to life.
An art instructor may make a significant difference in a student’s life by helping them develop their critical thinking skills. Many schools include art education in their curricula. By fostering interpretive and imaginative skills, art teachers enable children to express themselves creatively while also assisting them in understanding the feelings of others. If you think teaching art is a worthwhile career option, you should understand more about what it entails. Students are introduced to the formal qualities of art as well as many mediums of artistic creativity by art professors. They introduce students to the techniques and materials used in the creation of graphic, craft-based, and sculptural art. Other mediums, such as photography or cinema, are taught by art teachers in some schools.
Tasks of an Art Teacher
The following are some of the to-dos of an art teacher.
Curriculum Development
Art teachers create a curriculum that is tailored to the interests and skills of their students. Short-term projects with easy-to-use instruments, such as crayons, may assist younger pupils, while older students may spend more time on paintings or ceramics. Lessons and projects are used by art teachers to impart formal ideas such as line kinds, color relationships, and symbols.
Introducing Technique
These instructors explain ways for assisting pupils in achieving better image and form representation. This could include brush strokes, shading, and sketching techniques.
Developing Enthusiasm and Talent
They encourage all children to express themselves artistically as a creative and emotional outlet, but they also assist gifted pupils in reaching their full potential.
Teaching Art History
Art teachers use art history lessons to put artistic styles and ideas into context.
Review
Teachers in higher-level art classes critique students’ work to highlight craft triumphs and areas for growth.
Grades and Reports
Art teachers develop grading criteria and provide parents with progress reports that outline student achievement. They may also meet with parents at any time during the year.
Salary Ranges for Art Teachers
In the United States, the average annual compensation for an art instructor is $47,360. Pay may vary, however, depending on geographic area, education, company, and work experience. Cities like New York, for example, may charge as much as $63,124 per year. Further credentials, such as personal artistic achievement or additional degrees, may also result in higher remuneration. Between 2020 and 2030, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) expects a 7-8 percent increase in job growth for kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high school teachers. In addition, as of May 2020, the BLS reported that median annual incomes for these occupations ranged from $57,860 to $62,870. After becoming an art teacher, you can expect to earn a variety of salaries depending on where you live. It’s also worth mentioning that professors often take a two-month summer break, though some do teach summer classes or tutor during this time.
Art Teachers’ Abilities
Here are some of the talents that art teachers employ on a regular basis:
Ability to Communicate
Unlike several topics, art professors are frequently unable to grade pupils’ understanding of artistic concepts as correct or incorrect. To communicate artistic concepts, you must be able to explain how colours, shapes, emotions, ideas, and techniques come together to create something important for people. Traditional communication skills, such as presenting, public speaking, and feedback, are required of art teachers, but they must also explain abstract and emotive issues to children and teenagers.
Craftsmanship Abilities
Art professors hone their talents in a variety of media so that they can effectively convey techniques to students. This necessitates the use of fine motor skills and a lot of practice. Art teachers offer their experience about how to develop ideas, sketches, and colour palettes when assisting students with larger projects.
Imaginative Abilities
Art professors do more than just make art; they also come up with project ideas that best engage students. Because they frequently teach many grade levels, this necessitates a significantly wider range of lesson plans. Art teachers must also be resourceful and inventive in their use of available materials. Art teachers could create festive projects around the holidays. Art teachers could assist in the creation of sets for student theatre.
Skills in Interpretation
Art interpretation is a skill that requires both experience and formal training. Art teachers use their interpretative skills to guide discussions about artworks, provide comments to students, and assist them in developing their own strategies for understanding pictures and shapes.
What Are the Steps to Becoming an Art Teacher?
Here are some of the measures to be taken if you want to be an art teacher:
Obtain a Bachelor’s Degree
Typically, art teachers enrol in undergraduate programmes that mix art and education or offer both subjects separately. Depending on your school’s options, you might be able to: major in art, with a focus on education. Education is a major, while art is a speciality. Art education is a major. Check the prerequisites for becoming a teacher in the state where you intend to work, regardless of your program. Most states require education students to complete a teaching internship or a certain number of hours of classroom observation.
Pass the Licencing Examinations
To get your driver’s licence, most states need you to pass two examinations. The first is a fundamental educational competency examination that assesses your reading, writing, and math skills. The second is focused on art education and usually includes art creation, art history, and art theory. Your state will most likely issue you a teaching licence if you pass both.
Submit an Application for Certification
Apply for your state’s art teacher certification once you’re licenced and finished with any student teaching requirements, so your credentials reflect the particular training you received.
Look for Art Teaching Jobs
By doing some research, you can find a school district that loves art as much as you do and offers a promising atmosphere for your professional development. Consider the age category of pupils you’d like to teach and apply for positions that fit your needs.
Where Can Art Professors Look for Work?
Art teachers can work in both public and private institutions, with kindergartners usually being the first to get training. Some schools require assistance with the administration of after-school art programs and summer camps. Other art professors may be competent to teach at the university or college level. Adults frequently seek art education and may pay for pottery or painting studio sessions. Art workshops are also offered at retirement homes, and sessions may be led by a professional.
What Are the Prospects for Art Teachers?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not have any information on art teachers. Instead, they isolate projections for kindergarten and primary teachers from predictions for high school teachers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts a 4% annual job growth rate for these specialists until 2029. This growth rate is comparable to that of other professions.
Who Wouldn’t Want to Be an Art Teacher?
Teaching art provides a meaningful way for people who have invested time and effort in honing their artistic skills to continue working on their passions. Art teachers enjoy working with children and are patient educators who thrive in a different type of learning environment. Art teachers that are good at relating to kids might do well as work teachers because they can help students create art that is personal to them.
What Other Professions Can Be Pursued?
People who appreciate teaching or working with the arts might pursue a variety of alternative vocations, including art therapists who use artistic production as part of the healing and educational process for people suffering from mental illnesses. They encourage patients to express themselves through art in order to access their emotions and effectively channel their frustrations. Educators at the museum who are professionals needed to provide tours and educate visitors of all ages about artworks and art history at natural history and art museums. Craft workshops led by experienced teachers may be offered at children’s museums. Arts administrators collaborate with other departments in the school to negotiate money, promote programs, and establish a district-wide curriculum. These professionals are proponents of the value of art in education and have the power to influence students’ access to resources and programming.
Seek Learning to Become an Art Teacher
To become an Art Teacher, you normally need a bachelor’s degree in Education with a major in Graphic or Visual Arts, Art Appreciation, Ceramics, Drawing, or Art History. Alternatively, you can earn a bachelor’s degree in another field and then pursue a postgraduate education certificate, such as a Graduate Diploma in Education.
A bachelor’s degree in education is required. These are usually four-year teacher education programmes that have been approved by the Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programme. Most ITE courses focus on either becoming a primary or secondary school teacher, but some provide both options. To get admitted to a degree programme, you must be at least 17 years old and have finished Year 12 with a sufficient university admission index. Alternatively, you could start with a single degree. Then enrol in an ITE-approved two-year postgraduate programme. As part of your bachelor’s degree or postgraduate studies, complete practical placements. Students must obtain a Working with Children Check before beginning practical placements. It’s also possible that a national police certificate will be necessary. As part of your bachelor’s degree or postgraduate study, complete practical placements. Students must get a working with children to check before beginning practical placements. It’s also possible that a national police certificate will be necessary.
What Are the Requirements for an Art Teacher?
To gain a solid background in colour theory, design, and painting, as well as lesson planning, classroom management, and teaching methods, potential art teachers must obtain a bachelor’s degree in art or art education. Local school boards, career-building websites, educator journals and teachers’ organizations, as well as classified advertisements and other sources, can all help you find job openings for art teachers.
- Bachelor’s degree is the highest level of education available.
- Field Art education or a bachelor’s degree in art with a teaching certificate
- Experience
- Internships or voluntary work can help you advance your career.
- Licensure/Certification
Public school teacher certification requirements vary by state; private schools and community art programs may not require certification. Key Competencies Oil painting, watercolour, clay, and charcoal are examples of artistic skills, as are creativity, organizing, and time-management skills.
Steps to Be Followed to Become an Art Teacher
Step 1. Is to Develop a Wide Range of Artistic Skills
Art teachers must be skilled in a variety of techniques and disciplines. They should be able to display fundamental abilities in oil painting, watercolour, clay, charcoal, and other art mediums. Students can explore their interests through a number of art courses offered by colleges and universities.
2nd Step. Is to Get a Bachelor’s Degree
What kind of education do you need to teach art? Many aspiring art teachers have traditionally completed a bachelor’s degree programme in art education. These programmes usually incorporate pedagogical topics like educational psychology and curriculum creation, as well as art lessons to assist students to enhance their artistic abilities. Students who obtain a bachelor’s degree in art and then complete a teacher education programme can also become art teachers. Many students specialize in one area of art, such as art history, graphic arts, painting, or digital art. As a result, classes may vary, although they typically involve colour theory, design, and painting.
Step 3. Is to Complete an Education Program for Teachers
Teacher education preparation programmes are typically included in bachelor’s degree programmes in art education, allowing students to receive their certifications and begin teaching following graduation. Supplementary courses in lesson preparation, classroom management, and teaching strategies are often required in teacher education programmes. Pupils are also allocated to teach in a school under the supervision of a qualified teacher, who will supervise students and provide constructive criticism on how to improve their teaching talents. This allows students to put what they’ve studied into practice while also gaining valuable teaching experience, which is essential for future success as a teacher.
Step 4. Is to Obtain a Teaching Credential
The qualifications for earning a teacher’s certification vary by state, but in most cases, applicants must have finished a formal education programme. In addition to demonstrating expertise in art, media, and design, states require applicants to pass basic skills examinations in math and reading. Various examinations, such as the West-B skills test, the Praxis test, and the California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST), exist to examine a potential teacher’s abilities, and if passed, these tests grant a teaching certification. Various states employ these assessments at the discretion of their own education departments. Some states may require special education training for prospective teachers, whether or not they intend to teach special education classes. Teachers in public schools are frequently required to be certified, whereas teachers in private schools and community art programmes may not be required to be certified.
Step 5. Is Gaining Teaching Experience
Internships, volunteering as an art teacher for community children’s programmes, and working as a substitute teacher can all give excellent teaching experience and networking possibilities for aspiring art teachers. In general, the more experience you have, the more likely you are to get hired as an art teacher by a school. Local school boards, online job postings, educator and teachers’ union magazines, classified advertisements, and other sources can all help you find employment vacancies for art teachers.
Conclusion
Students are exposed to activities that promote valuable physical and mental growth through art instruction. Art education enhances fine motor skills, neural development, and problem-solving ability in young kids. Many schools begin by introducing art to all students early in their schooling and then transition to offering art electives to those who continue to be interested. Art teachers assist student painters in refining techniques and experimenting with diverse styles as they grow as artists.
