12 Things I Learned Teaching Art For 12 Weeks

I write to you today from the comfort of my home...

So warm.

So cozy.

So many tissues...

I’m sick.

I’ve missed two days of work in a row and I feel guilty; guilty because although my brain still works, my body is just not having it. When you’re a substitute teacher, having to ask for help by way of asking for a substitute teacher, feels redundant.

So as I lay in bed mentally intact yet physically exhausted, I’ve had some time to reflect on my last twelve weeks as a substitute Art teacher.

Mind you, my primary subject is music. Not being New York State certified to teach my own subject, yet being allowed to teach long-term for a maternity leave placement in a private school system has me feeling all the feels. Here’s just a glimpse of what I have learned as I reflect upon the last twelve weeks…

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What Humility Feels Like

What a way to begin a list...

Can’t say I didn’t try to teach the kiddos how to Art (verbs), but looking back, part of me feels as though I could have done more to enrich their Fine Arts experience. For those that may have been struggling, I look back and ask myself: where did it go wrong? How could I have helped greater in order to assist them in creating something amazing, thus ultimately receiving a passing grade?

Let Life Surprise You

This has slowly but surely turned into a mantra I have seamlessly reverted back to this e