I’m about to do something drastic
Substitute Teacher Artist
acrylic and crowd-sourced mixed media collage on canvas, 30" x 36", 2007 SOLD
Read about the 16 years I spent as substitute teacher artist.
For the last 25 years of working in education, I have proudly said ‘no’ to any suggestion of getting my teaching credential. I went from being a substitute teacher artist to working at a mix of gigs – including directing the Arts Education Alliance of the Bay Area and managing the Where Art Lives program.
I’ve touted myself as an education expert and have provided training to hundreds of teachers about how to use the arts to deepen learning in any subject. I’ve been talking the pedagogical talk for years, so now it’s time I walked the managing-a-classroom-everyday walk.
Starting in August, I will be the middle school art teacher for Paul Revere K-8 School which is just down the street from my home in Bernal Heights.
This will be my first “real job” - with set hours, a regular salary, and a boss. While losing my flexible schedule is going to hurt a bit, I’m proud to become a member of the United Educators of San Francisco.
Why now?
A workshop I attended in January helped shift my thinking. Lexa Walsh gave an online talk about, “Getting that Artist Residency.”
Getting that Artist Residency
marker and pencil on paper, 8” x 10”, January 18, 2023
Sketchnotes from an artist residency presented by Intersection for the Arts.
Walsh talked about her process and successes getting accepted into artist residencies around the world. She gave everyone on the Zoom call tips about how to assemble a strong application.
And then she talked about DIY artist residencies. That you could find an organization to partner with and set up a residency there.
She urged us to consider, “What do you want to get out of it?”
What I came up with later is: I want to set up a space where I can make art with a community, where I can have time to lead people through a creative process to see what we can make together. And I’d like to get paid for my time.
Well, that looks a lot like being a middle school art teacher.
The need
Walsh also asked, “What do the partners need?” Well, San Francisco schools need teachers, and this year they need a lot of art teachers..
Last November, I urged everyone to vote “Yes” on California Proposition 28 — and you did! Thank you. That has meant an influx in funding for arts education that is allowing the school district to hire dozens of art teachers.
In my role running the Where Art Lives program, I attend regular meetings with the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) Arts Department. They made it clear that recruitment for the new arts positions would be difficult. Districts across the state would also be hiring more arts teachers and San Francisco doesn’t offer the most competitive salaries.
The SFUSD would be offering waivers for not having a credential for the first year and there would be some grants and stipends available to encourage more people to become teachers.
It took several times of hearing this pitch before I started to seriously consider making the leap from being an arts partner with the district to becoming an employee.
The plan
Alive with Where Art Lives
acrylic and collage on canvas, 24” x 30”, 2023
Learn more about this painting and other works on the “Inquiry Paintings” page.
My art position at Paul Revere will be 4 days a week, so I will still have time to manage the Where Art Lives program.
I have gotten a preliminary intern credential and have one year to get enrolled in program to earn my single subject art teaching credential.
I’ve always thought that art has the biggest impact on the person creating it. So the most effective way that an artist can make positive change in the world is to facilitate other people in finding joy in the process.
Teaching is an important aspect of my own art practice. It’s basically a form of “social practice”; it’s what the Situationists and Fluxus artists were working on. Art is about creating an experience for people, and that’s what teachers do every day.
Classroom at Enola D. Maxwell
acrylic on canvas, 5’ x 3.5’, 2004, SOLD
I’ve taught in some pretty chaotic middle schools. Here is a painting of a classroom from early in my teaching career.
I look forward to having a class where I can build relationships with the students and get to know all of their names.
My art room will be a place where they can figure out how they want to be in the world and what they want to say. I will help them use art for inquiry into their own identities and to more deeply examine everything they are learning at school.
I’m also excited to see how the experience affects what I want to draw and paint. Stay tuned and let’s find out.