Hey /ic/ I just landed a sweet position as a grade 6-8 art teacher starting Aug 2016. The school already had an art curriculum set up but I think it's complete garbage. I have a meeting set up with the principal so I can present him with a revised curriculum which I can hopefully get approved.
I'll have students for two classes a week, one hour each class for the semester. I'm thinking of finding a happy medium between atelier style draftsmanship and some fun painting shit so they don't an hero. I want to cut the weeklong sections of sculpture, abstraction and mixed media like paper mache and scratchboard. I want to focus on pencil and charcoal still lifes, staring with basic shapes, moving into basic perspective and finally basic figure drawing. Thoughts?
If you could go back to being a 6-8th grader, what would you have liked to do in art class?
>>2399599
people here have come to the agreement that if you become a teacher is because you have failed, i'm sorry OP enjoy your money i guess.
The problem is kids are dicks. You gotta have to get them to like you before they even try to do art.
>>2399599
I'm flashing back to art class back when I was in middle/high school and...
and I remember it being treated as a worthless subject that the kids loved because it was essentially an extended lunch break where no one really did anything and the teacher didn't care. public school is shit.
good luck, though. it's nice you want to actually teach them things. hopefully they actually want to learn it. should prob include a basic intro to color imo.
>>2399599
I think is fine, just remember to tell children how bad are their works and that they can improve them, and learn to be self-critic, that way we will have less material to add in the cringe thread.
>>2399599
Cutting sculpture and mixed media is a mistake. Everyone knows ceramics was the best part of grade school art class. Paper cutting and printmaking are also awesome, budget-friendly shit. If you build lp's around cultural history math and science shit, you will achieve godhood. Why don't you go talk to their other teachers about the upcoming year's curriculum and seed yours from that? If you bring holistic cross-reinforcing art curriculum shit to the table, you're going to make the principal very moist. Academically.
You want to reinstate some kind of apprenticeship for high draughtsmanship and shit and change the world. I totally get it, but that's more of something to do with private lessons outside of school for the kids with aptitude. Honestly, the best thing you could do with class is prove the relevance of art as a teaching method. And hopefully that makes people appreciate art. Also, this is the most difficult age to teach if you're not genuinely cool. Good luck!
>>2399599
Good luck w kids 6th -8th grade doing anything you tell them
>>2399599
While I think it's great that you're really wanting to get the kids into drawing and such, just remember they're kids.
They don't want to be at school, they don't want to be in your class, they could care less about learning. You need them to respect you if you want any chance in getting these children to learn anything from you. It's such a shame too, I'd love to go into teaching, but fuck ever trying to get into kids heads. Give them to me when they're already a bit grown up.
Good luck anyway, remember that half the battle is having them simply focus.
I'm lost.
>>2399671
this
Kid take art class to do things that they can't do easily at home.
You could probably still teach them some fundamentals if you really inspire them and get them excited.
>>2399599
>taking away paper mache
You baastard, that shit was fun when I was a kid
>>2399599
you're fucking retarded OP. Art at that age isn't about honing your skills but about having fun and letting kids experiment.
You want the kids to have so much fun they think "hey, I think this art thing might be for me" so they can take it seriously later on in life.
The way you are approaching it is extremely bad. You are going to turn kids away from art by doing boring still lives and shit like that. Kids want to make shit with their hands, make neat designs and learn fun media tricks. Probably 1 in 1000 cares about how well they can render a still life.
You've been browsing /ic/ for too long. You faggots are the worst.
>>2399599
Is the class compulsory for the students or do they choose it?
I'd try to make the curriculum a bit diverse if I were you. Maybe some crafty stuff, or something that has clear steps and ends up looking good no matter how artistically challenged the students are. To be honest, your approach is too optimistic. You might have a handful of serious students who are genuinely into art, but you'll have a lot of little assholes who think of art class as just a whole period to goof off.
>>2399786
It's compulsory. I've been reading the replies and I think I might be getting ahead of myself. I'm still trying to figure out how to make repetitive tasks not so boring.
op buy like 30 copies of loomis and hand them out to the class and your work is done.
>>2399919
rover?
>>2399599
you want kids to draw still lifes? are you joking? kids dont like that shit at all its boring and its alien to their interests. get them to draw bikes and design monsters and shit, get them to use their imagination, It'll inspire them to do more. get them stuck in to 3D media and have them thinking about the full potential of art and creativity. basic perspective and basic figure drawing is for people who want to know about perspective and figure drawing, not 11 to 13 year olds
>>2399935
I thought about starting the class that way. I was going to compile a bunch of badass concept art from various games and movies and start the class with what can be done.
>>2399599
you should get them to do bargue plates
>>2399919
kek
>>2399785
/thread
public school atelier for 6th graders... give me a break.
>OP actually thinks middle schoolers aren't worthless pieces of shit
all you're going to do is ruin what the little shits view as a break from school. I'm sure you'll be so fed up with the little assholes by the end of the week you'll just say fuck it and breakout the macaroni and glue
>>2399618
I was in the same boat, and if it's the same case for you OP, then just make sure there is a nice environment for those which are interested
and imo a good exercises to start with for them would be this:
>find a particular subject which most enjoy (or more subjects)
>have a board which all can see and put an image(s) there with the chosen subject
>ask them to draw it, in same posture or not, just to have the said subject in their drawings
>each 2 min cover the board, for 2 min, and then uncover it again
when you have your ref up all the time, you get the bad habit of entering in copy mode and you don't learn much like that. but when you can't see your ref all the time, you pay more attention when you can and try to remember as much as possible
>>2400155
this
don't be a dick and let them chill, they already have no choice but to spend ~8 hours of their lives at school every day, art class is usually just a place where you can catch a breather and don't have to worry about being called to answer or fuck up a test
if you want, arrange some after calss activities bullshit or something
>>2400722
>arrange some after calss activities bullshit or something
I think either this or offering the kids different assignments. If they want to do still lifes and perspective they can, but if they wan't to do sculpture thats also ok.
I'm not sure if this is even allowed in school due to different marks for different assignments that might be seen as unfair, but it could be good.
>>2399935
So fucking what? Kids don't like maths either but they have to study it and some even decide that they like it.
The whole problem is that art class isn't about teaching kids anything. They can have fun in their free time. Not saying OP should be overly serious and strict, but ideally there should be a good balance between fun and learning.
Keep the school's plans for the assignments so the kids that don't give a fuck have clear objectives to slack off toward and a definitive number of tasks to complete to get their A. Then just do whatever the fuck you want with the kids that like art . Why even ask the boss man if you can change things? If a kid wants to draw the entire semester and finishes projects just give him grades for the sculpture and painting assignments all the same and the boss will be non the wiser.
Let them have access to all the supplies from the start. It'll work like a buffet. Some kids will get a little of everything on their plate as long as it's new. Some will eat a couple things they know/think they'll like without touching the weird shit. Some will know exactly what they want, run off to get a big plate of macaroni & cheese and call it a day (which is fine, I'd have loved to spend more time with what I was comfortable with in art class over having my dipshit teacher force paper mache, collages, and a bunch of bullshit art history slideshows down my throat).
Give lectures free-form about the skills that are most universal regardless of supplies while the kids work and that will lead to more specific questions about the medium each is working with. Tell the kids that dgaf and want to socialize about unrelated stuff to keep their bullshit below your volume and just move them around until the blabber mouths are seated next to the a-social ones if they don't follow the rule.
Don't be the asshat that says there's only one correct way to hold a pencil and you'll do fine.
The point of middle school art is so that the kids can learn what kinds of art they enjoy doing.
>>2399599
Pedo detected.
>>2399599
that sounds like a lot if stuff for one semester op you might want to tone it down
also start off with really kinetic low mental strain activities because like other posts said they will probably see the class as either a joke or a fun time between classes
as they get older you can introduce things like still lifes but dont hold your breath
begin the class with a small demo and leave them to their own devices
encourage socialization via asking their peers for help or critique
on that note have lower standards, they all prob suck ass and right now its more about introducing art than gettin gud
best of luck
report back if possible
>>2399599
Won't work, the sculpture and mixed media are there so the school can easily show to parents that their little turds are doing stuff in school.
Drawing needs time and dedication while the first results will always look bad, parents don't want that, they want mugs, they want jewellery, they want a carrot made with paper mache not some bad drawings.
The kids won't like it either.
>>2399671
We did fundamentals and nothing but them in my sixth grade class. No one paid attention and most kids just goofed off after finishing one exercise. You're going to bore these kids because most of them probably don't care about art as a subject. The only ones who will take it seriously are those who want to draw already which is rare to find serious artists at that age. You're better off exploring lots of mediums so kids get a chance to see what kind of stuff they like. Explore value for the fundamentals because that one makes things like painting easy which might encourage the students if their drawings don't look too crappy all the time.
If you want to teach these fundamentals you should go to high school bruh
>>2399671
this
>>2399599
>I want to cut the weeklong sections of sculpture, abstraction and mixed media like paper mache and scratchboard
Bitch pls, having kids make shapes and vases or whatever is essential for them.
>I want to focus on pencil and charcoal still lifes, staring with basic shapes, moving into basic perspective and finally basic figure drawing.
You monster. I guess you could show them some short vids on perspective or people doing crafts so they get ideas. Think less atelier and more art therapy.
>If you could go back to being a 6-8th grader, what would you have liked to do in art class?
I'm guessing before hormones? Paper children, making a stencil from a picture, learning to mix colors, making vases, animals, antique masks from mache or clay.
On paper, maybe some form of construction or how to put values on lineart. Mind, I was the guy drawing in all his assignments instead of buying paper plates or whatever.
>>2399599
thinking back to grades 6-8, I don't remember any structured instruction. well maybe once we did a grid exercise, but it was mostly just fucking around with very little feedback.
even though I was artistically inclined at that age, I really didn't give a fuck about this either. high school was where shit really took off in terms of media/technique/fundamentals.
>>2400733
but unlike art, you actually need math in real life, and having someone get into math is much more productive for society than churning out another would-be artist bum.
not to mention that creative flexibility is more a realm of art than science at that age, so the regimented nature of the curriculum makes sense for other subjects.
>>2400791
>force a bunch of bullshit art history slideshows down my throat
fuck you I actually found those quite informative/educational and tried to incorporate it into my work during those years.
>>2399599
honestly, if i was one of the 6th or 8th graders in your class and a teacher came to me with this shit then id hate you. the only fun class and you made it boring as fuck.
>I have a meeting set up with the principal so I can present him with a revised curriculum which I can hopefully get approved.
Brace to get your dreams crushed by the grinding, uncaring gears of public service and bureaucracy, my friend.
>>2399599
I think it's too early for them to be learning this kind of thing.
Maybe you could do it if you draw with them once in a while and show them what can be achieved and do tutorials that way.
>>2399912
>repetitive tasks not boring
you cant. the path to mastery is frankly repetitive and monotonous, so only a few stick with it - those who developed a stockholm syndrome to the monotony.
keep in mind that your class is gonna be full of future engineers and policemen and lawyers and fry cooks
loosely related, but dont want to make a new thread:
how much should a generic tier life figure drawing class cost (per lesson) ?
>>2399599
>asking 4chan on job advice
Srsly just do what happened last year and only change things slightly every year so nobody notices.
>>2399935
My middle school art class had us do gestures of our classmates once and I thought it was the coolest shit. It made me feel like a real artist, and since they don't require a lot of accurate detail I was easily able to be proud of it. And the more high level stuff like when we painted fruit was far more exciting to me than stuff like the creativity exercises, which were fun too, but not my favorite. But then again, most of my classmates didn't care for art at all and just tried to get it over with as quickly as they could so they could mess around with their friends.
I think you should aim for a mix of both, definitely teach fundamentals, but try to come up with a way to make it fun for those who aren't already interested in art? That might not be worth it though, since the kids who already don't like art probably still won't like it. But if you try to make the class too educational, honestly the principal might reject your curriculum. Since you have two classes per week, perhaps spent the first day learning something fundamental and then the second day applying it creatively? Like teach the basic concepts of perspective the first day and have them draw cubes and whatnot, then on the second day have them do something more interesting like drawing their dream bedroom/house/etc in perspective. It might even give kids another reason to look forward to the end of the week.
