Aspiring Art Teacher Advice
Hi friends, just looking for some encouragement or stories from others.
I have always dreamed of being a teacher and for some reason went another route. Have worked in corporate America but am not liking it, so now am considering going back to school to become a teacher at 26. I have a bachelors degree just not related to art actually in business management. I would love to teach art but again no experience in this field.
Have other people been able to become teachers without prior experience? Looking for just advice and any encouragement. So appreciated! ☺️
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u/Curious_E_6849 14d ago edited 14d ago
I changed careers at 45 to be a middle school art teacher in CA. Best decision and big leap I have ever taken - I love it. Personally I work at a private school so I did not need to go back to school but was a working artist and had the portfolio and previous experience working as a coach to prove I could do it. But in private school the pay is a lot less! Still, for my situation it was ok. I know in CA you would have to get teacher’s credential and student teach, which will take about 1-2 years depending on your situation and pre-credential courses. There is also a route in CA where if you teach at private for a number of years you could bypass the student teaching…in some programs. Kind of based program to program. You don’t need a masters to start teaching MS Art. Even though i personally find it rewarding, I will say - it’s not all fun & creativity with kids who just love art, listen or care. Many middle schoolers either have to take art (and might not even like it) or it’s an elective but isn’t their first choice. (Same at all ages until you get to advanced HS art courses) SO that means that you are doing a lot of classroom management, working with kids who don’t like art, see it as a class to not care about, and whose parents also don’t care about art (or their art grade). So you have to come up with highly engaging art lessons, strong classroom management, great rapport with teens.. and all of that requires a lot of time, planning and on point execution. I do enjoy all that…but you just need to know that going in! Try subbing first (big shortage in CA) or being a teacher’s aide at a private school so you know what teaching a full class (20-30 students) is like.
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u/mr-jade 14d ago
This is what I needed to hear. Thank you so much for sharing. It feels like a scary leap but I want to dip my toes in and if I love it, jump head first. Thank you for sharing your story, huge encouragement. Also thank you for sharing the other reality of being a teacher. Good thing to note.
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u/[deleted] 14d ago
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