Life is hard for teachers, and maybe a bit harder for art teachers who, in some instances, have to defend their relevancy in the public school setting. (More on that HERE). 

I have found the best ways to refresh and renew myself is to travel, teach on my own terms privately, and to take an art class in something I know nothing about. In my case, I took a class in glass blowing with a former student of mine, Jessica Schimpf, who is now the proud owner of Mantra Glass in Denver Colorado. (If you're ever in Denver, try it!)

Jessica was one of those students who is someone I now call a friend, and I am very proud of her accomplishments. While in school she was fearless, taking welding shop class with "all the boys" and holding her own, and often besting them at their craft. She found her calling later in glass, and when I knew I would be in her area, I scheduled a class. Teacher becomes student!

My previous experience in trying something new was accidental.  I had three windows in my home (first image below) that were arched on top. I knew I wanted stained glass to go there. I priced it out and my best quote was about $8000. I thought that was a bit extravagant, but around that same time I learned about a stained glass class. I decided if I really wanted those windows, I might as well make them myself. I had NO CLUE how to do it, but Beverly was an awesome teacher, going step by step with a small sample piece. Once I got the basics, I designed my three windows, and dove in.

If someone asked me to do them again, I would charge at least $8000 knowing the amount of time, energy, materials, etc. it took to do, but I have a sense of pride in saying, "I did that!" Once the windows were completed, several other projects followed, and that enthusiasm translated into my classroom as well. They were excited because I was excited. I shared my projects with my students, and assured them, there's always something new to learn! 

I think we need to continue to give ourselves those "wow" experiences. To feel nervous, work it through, and then get excited by the experience. It's fine to take a painting class to hone your skills, but I think the greatest leaps come from jumping from an artistic ledge you have not yet tried. Find a media you think is fascinating but have never done yourself, and then seek out a class. If there is none, try contacting an artist who does that work, and see if they will let you join them for a weekend. Be ready to "invest" in your experience by actually paying for the class (or bartering) because artists do need a source of income. My glass class was not "cheap," but I do feel it was reasonable, and worth every penny.

Share your own experiences below. What class or experience has invigorated your artistic spirit?

According to the University of Chicago, “The most satisfying jobs are mostly professions, especially those involving caring for, teaching, and protecting others and creative pursuits,” said Tom W. Smith, Director of the General Social Survey (GSS) at the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. The survey is the most comprehensive of its kind to explore satisfaction and happiness among American workers. The GSS asks a large variety of questions of a representative sample of Americans in face-to-face interviews.

In the 1988 to 2006 GSS surveys, interviewers asked people how satisfied they were with their jobs. The interviewers also asked them about their general level of happiness and Smith correlated those general happiness findings with the jobs people held. People’s feelings about their work usually have a significant impact on their happiness, he said, "Across all occupations, on average, 47 percent of people said they were very satisfied with their jobs and 33 percent said they were very happy. The top three jobs for satisfaction were clergy (87 percent reporting being very satisfied), firefighters (80 percent) and physical therapists (78 percent). Other top jobs, in which more than 60 percent of the respondents said they were very satisfied were education administrators, painters, and sculptors, teachers, authors, psychologists, special education teachers, operating engineers, office supervisors, and security and financial services salespersons."

Though artists may not be top wage earners, most find they are satisfied with their decision and are able to live comfortably with their wages. Sometimes it's not all about the money, but the satisfaction of doing a job you enjoy. 

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.
~Confucius

Special Thank you to Rachel of thehelpfulartteacher.blogspot.com for spotting this video!

Art teachers often have creative lives outside the classroom. Exhibitions, trips to museums, outside creative projects, artful experiences, state or national art education conventions; are all things we can talk about with our students.  Sharing these experiences can be a great motivator.

Outside my school day I run a small gallery, I write, illustrate, and publish books, teach privately, I sometimes paint commissions and work for my own pleasure, and I love to travel. I share these experiences at the local, state, and national level through professional development conferences. I have also shared some of these experiences with my students so they understand that it's not just something I do from 7am to 3pm, but it's how I live my life. 

Art teachers are rather unique in this way. I am not sure as many math or science teachers go home and do more math or science, some may, but I don't think it's the norm. Art teachers often do creative things outside the normal school hours.

This past week, I was invited by Lindsey O. to speak to her art students at the Cab Calloway School of the Arts in Delaware. My focus was on sharing my creative journey into publishing my award winning book series that begin with the title, "If Picasso..." 

I used Google Slides to walk through the process of getting an idea, working it through, seeking help and collaboration from peers, the process of writing, publishing, and ultimately selling the series. I shared my goals to make sure the books represented a broad selection of artists both male and female, and of different cultural backgrounds. I also was looking to make connections to poetry, rhyme, alliteration, animal conservation, geography, even world languages as in the final book of the series.

At the end, students had an opportunity to make their own work of art or write a poem based on a work I presented in my slide show. I'd encourage you to do the same, and when appropriate, share what you do with your students. Career readiness is certainly a topic in your curriculum, and sharing what you do as a professional ties in well.

If you would be interested in me coming to your school some information can be found HERE. And if you'd like to get the whole "If Picasso" series on sale, it's available HERE. 

The 2 most memorable years of my teaching career were spent in Alexandria Egypt, and made me more "salable" as a teacher when I returned to the US and got a job 250 others wanted. If you do not have a house, and have the freedom to travel for a while, I think teaching abroad can provide a rich and valuable experience.

I recommend www.iss.edu for placement and the autumn is the perfect time to apply. I.S.S. (International School Services) has been around for MANY years, well established, with a golden reputation. They do their recruitment conventions early in the spring. (Several readers of my blog recommend Search Associates as a placement agency.)

They do charge a fee BUT most schools will reimburse you for that as part of the hiring process. I.S.S. represent schools all over the world. If you have limited experience (under 3 years) you will be limited in the schools you can apply to. There will still be many, but likely in developing nations or the third world. (That's not a bad thing at all!) With 3 or more years, you can go almost everywhere. Keep in mind too I.S.S. is not the only "game in town." The military has it's own school system, and their are other placement agencies. I did my own research and found I.S.S. was a better fit for me, but you might want to explore other options.

To teach in a few rare places, like Saudi Arabia, you might have to be a teaching couple. Some schools do not allow single teachers, while others do, so situations may vary.  Their pay though is astronomical, usually well over $100,000 per teacher, and most of it is tax free. Some schools are aligned with the airline system and teachers fly free all over the world. I have heard of teachers working there for a couple of years, coming back to the USA, and buying a home with cash. The downside is that you have very little freedom of movement, and if you try to get or make alcohol, they'll chop off your foot. (Happened to a teacher in 1990 who built a still in his apartment, went to jail, got a warning, did it again, lost his foot.) 

Being a teaching couple can present different issues because you have to find a school that needs BOTH positions, so it can be a bit more challenging. On the flip side, if accepted and you have children, they often can attend free. Some schools will do this for single parents as well, but you'll have to ask.

Consider too the political climate of a country. Most schools through I.S.S. are accredited back to the US system. On campus, it will feel like an "American School." But if, for example, you are an LGBT person, you might not want to go to a country where LGBT people are imprisoned or worse. Some countries forbid religious expression, or only allow the local faiths to be expressed. These are questions to ask during your interview. Be candid about your concerns, schools will be candid in their replies.  That said, expats (Teachers from the USA teaching abroad) are often held to a different and more forgiving standard. While locals may feel some persecution for their differences, expats may not. These are rare issues, but something to think about.

What art teacher wouldn't LOVE to teach in Paris or Rome?!? "Primo" spots may pay poorly because everyone wants to teach there (Paris, London, Madrid, Rome, Milan, Tokyo, etc...) But if you are willing to go for an adventure, like I did, the pay is generally good, but if it "looks low," dig a little deeper. They usually have lots of little bonuses. Schutz American School of Egypt pays about $20K per year or so, BUT when I was there from 1991-1993, I got free room and board, use of a car, maid, and got to buy flights and cruises at Egyptian resident rates (Not tourist rates). You can live like like a Pharaoh on that kind of money, and it's all NOT TAXED! 

I use to take a tram downtown, have dinner, see a move, sip a cappuccino on the Mediterranean sea, for less than $10. The average Egyptian makes about $14K per year and have to pay rent, food, car, and more out of that... You get 20K free and clear... When I came back to the US after 2 years, I had enough cash to buy a car outright. 

As a teacher I was the resident expert. I was able to design classes I thought would be connected to curriculum, and engage the kids. I taught a semester of Kite-Making, Puppetry, and the regular k-12 art classes. It was a JOY! When I was at the school, I was in charge of a graduating class of just 7 students! Though many classes were a bit larger, it was nothing like the sardine-packed classes back in the states. 

Obviously as an artist, I was able to paint and draw at the Pyramids, sketch along the Nile River, visit Jerusalem, Athens, and other locations that were nearby. I even had my work bought by ambassadors and art collectors of the area.

If you can do it, I recommend you give teaching abroad a try.

This lesson introduces chemical-free pinhole photography, allowing students to explore alternative photography techniques using simple, classroom-friendly materials.

At the 2017 NAEA Convention I learned how to make a pinhole camera, and this is my first ever photo with that method. (I love it!)

No Chemicals in the method I used, and such rich color from black and white photo paper. The convention issue of School Arts Magazine by the presenter, Nicole Croy, explained and demonstrated the use of chemical-free photography. Maggie Pasquan has THIS video explaining how to make a camera from a simple soda can.

Essentially you are using photo paper and over exposing it for many days, burning an image into the photo sensitive paper. It can be exposed for at least 24 hours in bright sunlight, or even up to a year!

You do need a flatbed scanner to "process" the film. For the Chemical-free processing, you scan the photo paper at high resolution. Because I used a small Altoids tin, I scanned my paper at 1200 DPI WITHOUT a preview (because the preview ruins the paper). If your camera is larger, and the film paper big, you might only need to scan at 300 DPI. You get one shot and the image is what you scanned. Then you use Photoshop or any other photo editing program to reverse the image and invert it.

Indoor lighting does not bother the film much, but try to keep accidental exposure to a minimum. The scanning process does force a lot of light onto the image and does essentially ruin the image, so again, you scan it without a preview. Practice a bit before you do the real thing.

The camera must be facing a sun-drenched area. Face South, East, Or West, but never north. This process will also not work indoors, unless perhaps it is facing a very sunny window. When you open the camera (In subtle lighting) you'll see the negative! Then you just scan it. The presenter told stories of how she leaves pinhole cameras all over the place in her neighborhood, train station, back yard, even making mannequin-like figures to capture in her haunting images. In hindsight, she thinks leaving them in public transit areas may be problematic. Think about how others may react to seeing a box duct taped to a light pole at a train station... it's important to consider WHERE you place your pinhole camera, and how it may me perceived for weeks in the same location.
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I gasped when I saw the tiny image so crisp. It really worked well with black and white photo paper, even the old stuff. My image is black and white but gets a ghostly hue from the overexposure. As the paper yellows, a contrasting color will show in the inversion. That streak across the sky is not a cloud trail from a plane, but the sun going by seven times during my one week exposure from my home's front window.

Once I had a good understanding of the process, I bought a bunch of tin boxes at the Dollar Store and my advanced class made cameras to put around the campus. When you do something like that, it's important to tell your administration so they know what the little mysterious boxes are. I made sure all our boxes were clearly labeled and even added a QR code to them so anyone who discovered a box could scan it and come to this article on the internet. 

Below is a selection of images. Those who did not allow their camera direct sun exposure were too dark, so it is important to be sure cameras face in the direction of the sun.