As teachers we see hundreds of children daily, and are exposed to pathogens often. First year teachers are often out sick the most due to this new overload of exposure and need to build up an immunity to the daily encounters with sniffles, sneezes, boogers and more. Staying healthy is important for yourself, but also your children.

All new teachers should check with their primary care physicians to be sure they are all caught up on their shots and boosters. Getting the Hepatitus B vaccine, annual flue shot, and a booster for tetanus can be worthwhile. 

Certainly we're all aware that hand-washing is the best defense, as is antibacterial gel. Personally, I stock up on rubbing alcohol. I buy 6 bottles at the big box store for about $2 a bottle. I put a spray nozzle on it and spray tables, doorknobs, lav passes, keyboard, and my own hands throughout the day. 

Another good product is any hand cleaning soap that contains
Chlorhexidine Gluconate in it. This is what surgeons use before surgery. It binds with the skin and retains it's antiseptic qualities for 6 hours! Wet hands before using, then wash with the soap. It's broadly available online and not too expensive. You only need a tiny dab to make it work.

I polled teacher on Facebook to learn about their tips, here are the suggestions they shared with me.

Emily says, "Never touch your eyes, like to itch, with your bare hands."

Jeanna recommends vitamin B12, and green tea with local honey daily.

Marylu recommends Airborne or Emergen C dietary supplement of vitamins and minerals to boost your immune system.

Lauren swears by probiotics for gut health to strengthen immunity.

Lynn says to proactively remind students to use tissues, and sneeze into their elbows.

​Tavia likes to make sure her room is well ventilated, fresh air is key.

Lesley never uses student supplies to write with and has her own set.

Teri says, "If I felt an infection taking hold, here is my emergency kit:
High dose vitamin D for a few days. Amazon has 50,000 IU capsules you can order. Source Naturals Herbal Resistance liquid Licorice tea with Olive Leaf extract; I could usually skip getting sick with this combo."

Many teachers reiterated the importance of getting enough sleep.

And then there's Iliana who throws caution to the wind and recommends, "Just lick the door handle and hope that it's true that what doesn't kill you will make you stronger!"

​Share your healthy tips below in the comments!

Sometimes "special" means awesome! I have a post on how I handle lessons with my special needs students HERE, but I thought to share an experience I had this week that illustrated what I had written about a few years ago.

When students come with an aide, or not, make no assumptions about their ability to participate. The image above was done by a students who does come with an aide, but when presented with the task; making a grid on an image and transferring that image to paper with a larger grid, he shined. All those lines of the face are done directly with sharpie. He dove in fearlessly, and did an amazing job while many of my "regular" students hesitated, worried, and some even resisted. 

Not all my students with special needs can do this, but going through the process builds experiences. It also allows their peers to interact with them building a level of familiarity, breaking down the walls of "us vs them."

Below are some examples from my other special needs students with the same task. Some were able to do their grid with a partner, some not, some ignored the grid, and others partially got it in some parts. It was however the process that is most important. They all have a charm I deeply appreciate. 

If you want to see how I teach the gridding process to my students, I created two videos. VIDEO 1, VIDEO 2. 

Students are given homework to find an image of a family member, friend, or person they admire to draw for this project. This way everyone's drawing has a personal connection. I ask that the face they print out is as large or larger than my open hand. They are not allowed to use an image with a face that is smaller than an adult fist. Bigger is always better for this assignment.

From kinder classes all the way through AP classes in high school, there is always a sense that I have to reiterate my advice on coloring. So often students add in their one layer of color and say, "I'm Done!" where I reply, "Nothing in this world is the exact color of a Crayon, you need to layer your colors." So I have plenty of examples around my room of what I expect of my students. I remind them, every day when the task is coloring, what my expectations are. My hope it they will eventually learn.

Obviously for my kinders, I am more concerned with completely coloring and building basic techniques, parallel strokes if possible, but as students age, I add more and more to their repertoire. When a young students fully understands my advice, I give them a tidbit of information so they can take it to the next level, and share their work with the class... then others begin to push their work too.

These are the techniques I teach. Keep in mind, one builds upon the last. So in the lower grades I may be happy with one or two of the beginning expectations, I expect more from my older students and these expectations appear in my rubric.

1. All over color
2. 2nd layer to cancel the first layer's texture
3. Layer color to "tune" it to a realistic tone
4. press harder with colors to create shadow, lighter for shines
5. Add highlights and shadows with color
6. Highlight with a warm color, shade with cool colors
7. Add textures
8. Add details

My only other "tidbit" is that I try to instill in my students to avoid the use of black in shadows. I tell them it deadens colors in general, and that most professional artists don't use much black at all. My story to them is that when I go to flea markets to hunt for treasures, I look at the shadows in the paintings. If there's black in the shadow, I know it's the work of an art student. If the shadow has color, like blue, or purple, I know it's a "real artist" that understand color theory. Though there are examples of people who use black very well, black in shadows is often a crutch, and professionals don't need to use it. 

This is a poster I made a few years ago that has also been helpful, but you can easily make your own by having kids make samples. They will have fun making the "bad" ones, but also learn quite a bit by making the "good" ones. It's helpful to have a discussion about what makes something good, and how can a poor example be improved.

Then walk around picking winning examples for your own poster.

If you have any tips or tricks, please post them below in the comments!

Midway through this video, a review of color pencils, the blogger actually does some good demonstrating of coloring techniques.

This is not about your classified or special needs students, but the kid who is just disruptive enough to be a distraction in class, and stop the educational flow. For more broad information about classroom management, check HERE and HERE. 

Often students who act out are doing so out of fear or stress. It's not "normal" behavior, unless they are diagnosed with ADHD, ODD, etc. It's possible too that they have yet to be classified, so such behavior should be shared with guidance, and that should be an early step. Talk to guidance to see if the student is in a traumatic situation, had a recent death in the family, is in a recent placement for foster care, or some other disruptive situation that can manifest as disruption in your class. Your first step is to see it as a potential warning sign that they need help.

There are real differences in a child’s brain from early years through the teen years. Kids are sometimes irrational, undependable, secretive, distrustful, lazy, and inappropriate. Sometimes when we see this behavior we lose our cool and think they are doing it “on purpose.”

This is going to seem politically incorrect, but it’s the best way I can put it—I  see my students as mentally disabled with moments of clarity. On some cognitive level this is true because they are still developing. Would I get angry if a child with Down Syndrome did something wrong? No. I would take their disability into consideration and moderate my tone and approach. If we see that kids are simply not fully developed people—works in progress—it can take the sting out of poor behavior. Instead of getting angry, think of their disability and react without anger or spite.

When a problem arises and does not seem to go away after a day or two, I put a chair in the hall before the class enters. I have that student wait in that chair in the hall till I have settled the class, tell them you'll be back and they're not in trouble. Just wait.

When the class is settled, pull a chair into the hall and speak from a personal perspective using "I" Statements. Explain why you're an art teacher, how their behavior makes you feel, how their disruptions are affecting the class, and what you would like to see from them.

Candidly say, "sometimes this behavior is an indication that a student is in a difficult situation, being abused, doing drugs, or worse. I care very much about all my students, and I want you to know that IF you are facing a difficult situation, I may be able to get you the help you need. I am here for you, even if you make my life difficult. I want you to know I really do care. 

If you hate art, that's OK, I hope I can change your mind, but it's your choice to participate or not. That means passing or not. You're a young adult, you can make that decision. BUT if you continue to disrupt my class and distract others, I have to protect them as well. Legally everyone is entitled to an education, and when you distract the class or students, you are stopping them from their legal right to an education and then I have to "do something" about it. I don't want to be a cop in class, but if I have to, I will.

So it's up to you. You have all the choices. I want you to enjoy my class. I want you to know I am here for you if you ever need help, but I am also here for the other students to ensure they get an education."

I'd recommend writing down your statement and read from it in the hallway. You may want to have this conversation in the guidance department with the guidance counselor there. This way they know you took the time to really think it through and you do really care about them and your class. You obviously will need to make the statement appropriate to the age of your student, but I have found that this personal, one-on-one communication has turned some very difficult situations around.

Always communicate with guidances as problems of behavior arise, and maybe too your supervisor, school resource officer, and administration. Do this by email, even if you call, ALWAYS follow up with an email mentioning the call. Should anything really bad happen, you'll have an email trail documenting the actions you took. Email is admissible in court, phone calls are not. Contemporary evidence of communication during a situation often carries the most weight in a legal case, should one arise. If, for some reason, that child lashes out, all those that did not respond to your information will be held responsible, not you, because you documented the situation and did what you should from a legal perspective.

A little follow-up: You will not get in trouble for saying that this kind of behavior may be an indication of abuse, etc... You are NOT saying the student IS abused, but putting them on notice that it can be an indication, that you care, and if they are not in a difficult situation, they are being a jerk for no reason.

You only face an issue IF you accuse the student of such things, but saying it MIGHT be an indication of "whatever" is true and not accusatory. If you're worried about how they might take it, have this conversation in a guidance office or an administrator, write down what you want to say, read from it, and keep it as proof of the conversation.

​When the storm passes we need time to heal, and art is often the best place for that. Sometimes though, the normalcy of a schedule, and returning to routine can be healing too. You know your community, and after a few days back, you can get a sense of the pulse of your school.

I would suggest not diving into a therapeutic project on the first day, week, or month after a disaster. Many may still be in shock or even still suffering through trauma, homelessness, family members who may still be suffering in a hospital, lost, or worse. Giving some time for healing is important, it also allows time to reflect and put things in perspective.
​Too soon can open wounds that you are just not aware of.
 
Rather than "going it alone" and diving in, I'd STRONGLY urge you to consult with your guidance department about your ideas. They may know more personal information about your students, like who lost a parent, sibling, home, etc. If you have a school psychologist, USE THAT RESOURCE.
 
I have found that working symbolically is very helpful in these situations. It allows students to "code" their visual content so they can express their feelings in a very personal way, yet it still remains private. If you allow students to speak about their work, they should know they only need to share what they are comfortable sharing, even if it's just to talk about the colors they used.
 
The resource I recommend for this is the book, "The Emotional Color Wheel." It helps students code their feelings and experiences into colors and shapes. HERE are some specifics on how I use the lesson, and below is a free poster that I created to help students understand these color and shape connections. (You can download it below the image).

Another project could be to do a drawing of "Before, During, and After" the events. This might be followed up with a fourth image, at the end of the year, showing how things have progressed. Encourage students to write a bit on the back of their work or separate paper, or even to incorporate text into their drawings. Again, it's important to consult with guidance on such literal projects because of the risk you may do more harm than good.
 
You might consider doing an anonymous secret vote on scrap paper, telling students your idea of a project, and letting them vote yes or no, but allowing comments so you know why they said no on that voting paper. Was it because they think it's boring, or was it because they are uncomfortable with the subject. This empowers students too, to be heard.

​Consider partnering with another school that may be facing a similar situation, together you may be able to do a combined art show to help the community heal. You might be able to make it a fundraising event to help replenish supplies that may have been lost.
 
If the tragedy you face was one of violence, or great loss of life, I would suggest THIS article as a follow-up.