What is art as a teacher?

 An art teacher is a professional who works in a school and teaches

students how to create ceramics and sculptures, paint, take
photographs and draw.
 An art teacher may also work privately or at an art center. They
teach students about art theory, art creation and art history.

Why is art so important?

 Art can communicate information, shape our everyday lives, make

a social statement and be enjoyed for aesthetic beauty.

Why is art important in school?

 Involvement in the arts is associated with gains in math, reading,

cognitive ability, critical thinking, and verbal skill. Arts learning
can also improve motivation, concentration, confidence, and
teamwork.

CHARACTERISTICS OF ART TEACHER

They love kids.

 First and foremost, great teachers must love what they teach. And,
let's face it, we really don't teach art, we teach kids, our world's
most priceless asset! "Great art teachers love kids as much as their
content. Children and art have a dual place in their hearts." At the
 end of the day, our job is to see the potential in every child we are
blessed to call ours.

They love art.

 Now that we have established that we actually teach children, it's

still pretty important to love the discipline you teach them. Loving
the visual arts is also a commonality among the world's best art
teachers!

They are passionate about the profession.

 The greatest and most successful art teachers are passionate about
art education. They are the ones attending state and national
conferences, AOE conferences, and sharing their students'
successes via social media. "A passion for teaching is the number
one most important thing in art education." "This passion makes
for positive, professional energy that is contagious to others.”

They are dedicated.

 Dedication is a mark of affection. Dedicated teachers are deeply

committed and believe there is nothing more important than kids
and art. They put time and energy into their profession in a
manner that is often unequaled. We all know being an art teacher
is a difficult job. But, the long hours are worth it when we see our
students and programs shine.

They are energetic.

  Being an art teacher can be exhausting! We have to be energetic
and "on" all day long.

They are creative.

 Creativity is key to being a successful art teacher. We must figure

out the best way to teach hundreds, if not thousands, of students
with various backgrounds, talents, and interests daily.

They are organized planners.

 "A good art teacher is consistently challenging themselves to

create, plan, and prepare meaningful and relevant projects that will
consistently maintain a high level of success for ALL students.
 "A good art teacher needs to have the ability to effectively manage
and utilize a wide array of materials."
 "When teachers are organized, it allows them to successfully teach
different media and provides students with a diverse learning
experience.
 “It also creates a learning environment that is conducive to being
clean, safe and productive."
They are advocates for the arts.

 Every art teacher must continue to advocate for quality visual art
education. When they realize this, they work even harder to
educate their communities about how essential the arts are to
educating the whole child.

They are collaborators and communicators.

  Collaboration is essential to take your teaching to the next level.
Whether it's with others in your building, those in a state art
education association, or on social media, having a PLN is so
important!
 Communication goes hand-in-hand with collaboration. When
teachers communicate with their students, staff, and community
members, they will be successful. Which brings us to our next
trait.

They are leaders.

 Most art teachers set out to be leaders, but we are We lead our
students; we lead our classrooms and, often, we begin to lead our
schools and our communities. Many of the best art teachers I
know find themselves leading at the state level because they
realize it's an important element in growing the profession.

They are lifelong learners.

 I encourage my students to make mistakes and to learn from them.

 Teaching the artistic processes creates opportunities for students
to pull learning from other subjects."
 "Great art teachers aren't afraid to be vulnerable and can easily
admit teaching and artmaking mistakes which aides students in
taking risks, making mistakes and moving forward."
  "Great art educators are constantly evolving. Their instruction,
content, and pedagogy are constantly being revisited and
revamped to best serve their current kids at the current time."
 Great art educators want to see their students grow, and thus, are
constantly pushing to learn new things themselves.

They are artists.

 Whether or not art teachers professionally show their work is

irrelevant. But, knowing how to creatively utilize a variety of
mediums and sharing these techniques with your students is an
important part of the equation. Some of the best art teachers I
know continually create art, exhibit art in some way, and share
their talent with their students.