Monday, July 25, 2011

The Elemental Art...Cart??

I can't believe summer is almost over...already!! Wow.  As my contract last year with the public school system was for one year only, I, like every other teacher hired at the Oct. 2010 job fair AND a lot of regular contract teachers without tenure, found myself job hunting again at the end of May. It was a little scary, and, if I'm honest, I allowed myself about a week to worry and stress and feel sorry for myself. After a short bout of wallowing, I started sending out resumes and applying for every possible art position in Florida. I was so very fortunate to find a position right here in Broward County!

So...a week from today I'll begin two weeks of new teacher induction for my new adventure as art teacher for a new K-6 charter school about 15 minutes west of where I live. It will eventually be a K-8 school, so that might mean changes in the organization of the art program, as well. But for now, I'm looking forward to being there at the start of the new school...new staff, fresh faces, eager students and families...all of us excited about the possibilities!

The biggest change for me (besides being in an entirely new school) will be that, for the first year, I'll be on a CART! Hmmm...I'm equally intrigued and terrified by this. I know it will be a challenge, but I'm going to face it with a smile and simply be grateful that I am able to continue teaching art and doing what I love. The plan, as I understand it, is that the school will receive an additional building this year. So by next school year (2012-2013) I, and any other teachers moving from room to room, should have a dedicated classroom. This year will certainly have its challenging moments, but there will be exciting ones, as well. And just think of how my skills in organization and efficiency will grow! :)

I've found a few fantastic sites with helpful information from teachers who have been teaching from an art cart for years and have it down to a science. I will certainly be taking their advice!

2 comments:

  1. I like the new look of your blog.

    The Art Cart forced me to be super organized.
    I bought lots of plastic containers, of various sizes to store my art material.
    I also used medium size binders for my art history material.

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  2. Thanks! I've recently become obsessed with circles...I'm not sure what that says... :)

    Thank you also for the cart tips! I welcome many more if you've got them! I'm holding off buying too much until I talk to the principal this week and find out what type of storage and prep space I'll have. Hopefully the school will provide some organizational tools, and I'll supplement if needed. I have no idea yet how many classes or students the school will have, or even what art materials the school has purchased or if I'll be able to request more. Yikes. Too many unknowns right now. But hopefully I'll get clarification on some of these issues soon.

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