Maternity Leave

A while back, I was contacted by an elementary teacher in the area. She said she was looking for a certified art teacher to take her spot for six weeks after she had her baby. We chatted on the phone for a bit and arranged for a time that I could meet up with her and observe her classes. I was thrilled, I'd never really taught elementary art before. I mean, in high school I would volunteer at an elementary school and teach art, but I knew the class really well, and it was only one class, it was a lot of fun too, but other than that, I've had no experience with elementary. I am certified to teach art K-12, even though I didn't student teach at an elementary level.

Needless to say, I was invited back to be the permanent substitute for this teacher! I was super excited for the experience. I'm nearing the end of the second week, and let me tell you, it hasn't been easy. I decided to make a pros and cons list, Jimmy Fallon style. Here it goes.

PROS                                                                                                  

No grading!
Student examples don't take more than an hour to make and everyone thinks I'm the best artist.
The kids are so dang cute and say the cutest things.
The kids draw pictures for me
The kids tell it how it is. ("You're the best art teacher ever!")
They're still afraid of the big, bad, teacher
Everyone is excited for every lesson
No one is afraid to take artistic risks. Really inspiring. I wish everyone had that much confidence.
Kids love to help. Before school, recess, you name it. I have helpers                              

CONS

Constant mess, especially while painting. Kindergarten. I'm looking at you. 

They lie, just like any everyone else. ("That's MY ring! It's been missing for a year and a half!") Yeah right.
They expect me to keep all of those pictures. Okay, some of them are just plain weird.
Kids tell it how it is. ("You lied to us, you said this would be fun!") Picky, picky.
Sometimes I fail as the big, bad, teacher.
Kids are so excited to come to my room, they run, some trip and spend art time with the nurse.
Scissors are used to cut up pieces of paper into 100 small pieces of paper, all over the floor.



All-in-all, I'm enjoying it. Still prefer middle/high school right now, but this is good experience for now.