Credentialed Visual Arts Educator

Working Schedule

• Arts Educators work full-time jobs during regular school hours. As with any teaching job, there may be after-hours work required to prepare lessons or grade assignments. K-12 teachers can expect off-time as dictated by the academic calendar of holidays and breaks. 

Typical Duties

• Prepare engaging daily lessons and classroom activities 
• Review art history to discuss famous and significant works of arts and various styles
• Review elements that pertain to creating visual art, such as lines, 2-D shapes, textures, 3-D forms (i.e., the volume of height, width, and depth), space (perspective), color wheels, and value (i.e., lightness or darkness tones)
• Assign art projects and review instructions with students
• Teach proper use of applicable tools and materials for specific projects
• Guide students along their creative journeys as they explore their own styles
• Set up collaborative projects that allow groups to work together
• Assign and proctor quizzes and exams; grade assignments and offer feedback
• Demonstrate the safe use of hazardous or toxic art supplies, such as glue, paint thinner, scissors, etc. 

Additional Responsibilities

• Assist students who are facing difficulties or learning challenges
• Encourage and motivate students to express themselves appropriately
• Share curriculum ideas with school leadership and faculty
• Impart to students the need to take good care of their tools and materials (which can be expensive)
• Show classes how to keep work areas clean and organized

Soft Skills

• Desire and aptitude to help others succeed
• Empathy and patience
• Enthusiasm
• Informed social and cultural awareness 
• Keen organizational skills
• Non-judgemental approach to teaching
• Resourcefulness 
• Skills for coordinating and instructing activities
• Strong communication skills 
• The ability to monitor and assess student behavior

Technical Skills

• Knowledge of art history and the elements of creating visual art
• Familiarity with all applicable tools and supplies relevant to the level being taught
• Art and craft supplies may include: various weights and types of paper, canvas, crayons, pastels, charcoal, markers, graphite drawing pencils, sharpeners, colored pencils, ink pens, paintbrushes, trays, thinners, acrylic paint, oil paint, watercolors, tempera, sponges, glue, glue sticks, paste, rubber cement, pom poms, beads, glitter, string, yarn, felt, scissors, rulers, erasers, tape, felt, gloves, and hand cleaners
• Familiarity with classroom presentation equipment (such as video magnifiers, televisions, etc.) 
• Knowledge of printers, scanners, and photocopy equipment
• Microsoft Office, Google apps, Macintosh software
• Use of school database systems 
• Familiarity with educational software designed for K-12 students

• K-12 public and private schools
• Charter schools
• Post-secondary educational institutions (community colleges, universities)
• Youth centers and daycares

Art Educators play crucial roles in the well-rounded social and emotional development of students, from early childhood into high school and beyond. They help instill or grow creative skills and aptitudes that students will use throughout their lives, regardless of their eventual professions or life choices. It can be hard to quantify the tangible benefits that youth acquire from learning about and creating art. Because of that, some teachers (and parents) may not fully appreciate the value of art lessons for students of all ages. Nonetheless, Art Educators must stay positive and press on, confident in the knowledge that their work makes a major, long-lasting (and sometimes life-changing) impact in the lives of every student they teach! 

Art Educators may sometimes experience frustration if their STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) peers hog more of the limelight. That said, recent years have seen the evolution of STEM into STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) as both the worlds of academia and business realize the vital role that art and creativity play in the development of STEM innovations. 
 
Recent times have seen an increase in the use of technology in the classroom and a rise in distance learning when appropriate for student safety. Art Educators have had to stay flexible and work with these changes, using them to promote the creation of art in exciting new ways (such as making contemporary digital art). Indeed, digital art has been transforming the art scene in recent years, making its way into museums around the globe!  

As you guessed by now, most Arts Educators loved creating art growing up. Many had an early aptitude for drawing or painting; others might have discovered art in their teens as an outlet for expressing their ideas, inner thoughts, and occasional turmoils. Although there’s a stereotype about the “restless” artist, a lot of artists are not only quite happy and content but passionate about sharing their enthusiasm with others. This desire to teach is also a trait that might have been developed early on, perhaps through helping younger siblings or classmates.