The December Mailbag: Student Slang, Struggles with Subs, and Keeping Up with it All

It's time for the December mailbag! This month is a lot when you're an art teacher, and Tim and Amanda have some advice for when you're exhausted, overextended, and still trying to make meaningful learning happen. Listener questions cover everything from student slang (what does "delulu," "6–7," and "tough" even mean?) to always feeling behind on grading and displays, juggling multiple roles in the building, recovering from a nightmare sub, and working with a paraprofessional who spends class on their phone. Listen for some ideas and mindset shifts that you can use right now. Along the way, you'll also hear quick updates on AOEU's Holiday Giveaway Extravaganza, Art Club and Pop-Up Studio events, and a new AOEU YouTube game show, Framed, plus a few fun personal stories to keep things light during a heavy month. Resources and Links Join the Art of Ed Community See the new Framed trailer on YouTube Read the article about Cultivating Relationships with Paraprofessionals Learn about the artist Cannupa Hanska Luger and see him on Art21 PRO Learning: Collaborating with Paraprofessionals PRO Learning: Organizing Your Elementary Room for Success PRO Learning: Elementary Art Hacks

In this episode from the archives, Kyle Wood returns to discuss with Tim how we can give back to the field of art education and pay it forward. The conversation highlights the importance of building a community of art teachers, being willing to share ideas and lessons, and embracing mentorship roles. They also highlight the value of advocating for art education and discuss ways in which art teachers can express gratitude to the art education community and take positive action to support and strengthen the field. And, if you want to stick around until the end, Kyle dives into This or That: Art History Edition. Resources and Links Take the 2025 State of Art Ed survey Join the Art of Ed Community Read Kyle Wood's articles, and listen to the Who Arted? podcast More Advocacy Resources from AOEU

In this episode of Art Ed Radio, Tim Bogatz is joined by Jen Leban from the AOE Community to share powerful, practical advice for new and early-career art teachers. With some live recordings from the Illinois Art Educators Association Conference, Tim gathers insights from a wide range of teachers who talk honestly about classroom management, burnout, routines, creativity, and what they wish they had known in their first years. Whether you're a brand-new teacher or supporting someone who is, this episode is packed with encouragement, real talk, and strategies you can use right away. Resources and Links Join the Art of Ed Community See all of AOEU's Resources for New Teachers See AOEU's YouTube Series for New Teachers Listen to the What Do New Teachers Need to Know? Miniseries

How do you make ancient art exciting for kids? In this episode of Art Ed Radio, Zoe Goldman, podcast producer at the Getty Museum, joins Tim to share the behind-the-scenes story of If Objects Could Talk—a delightful, sound-rich podcast where ancient artifacts speak for themselves. Zoe explains how her team transforms visual art into immersive audio stories, working with curators, writers, and sound designers to help young listeners connect with history in meaningful ways. From creative collaboration to museum accessibility, she offers practical ideas for art teachers on how to bring art history to life in the classroom. Resources and Links Join the Art of Ed Community See the Elementary and Secondary Art History PRO Packs Check out all kinds of Art History resources from AOE See all of the Getty Museum's podcasts Find all kinds of teacher resources from the Getty Museum  

Recorded live at the Illinois Art Education Association Conference, Tim Bogatz and Amanda Heyn dive into the November Mailbag to answer the audience's best questions! They tackle how to avoid the internet rabbit hole when planning lessons, ways to design meaningful projects with very limited class time, and how to help middle schoolers generate their own ideas through scaffolding, choice within boundaries, and celebration of creative risk-taking. Along the way, they connect these topics back to the power of community—online and in person—and even weigh in on the great Halloween candy debate (Snickers? Baby Ruth? Smarties…really?). It's an energetic, audience-driven episode filled with important discussions and concrete strategies you can use in your classroom immediately. Resources and Links Join the Art of Ed Community Check out AOE's FLEX Curriculum Designing Your Art Curriculum How to Help Students Make Meaningful Original Art

In part two of this special fiction-meets-art-history podcast, you'll step into the MoMA after hours, where a professional development retreat turns into something much more sinister. What begins as an inspiring evening quickly spirals into chaos when Dalí's The Persistence of Memory disappears. The Dalí is gone. The suspects are gathered. And the detectives are running out of time. In the shocking conclusion to An Art History Mystery, our five art teachers—Delilah, Solomon, Madison, Amber, and Robert—return to the Museum of Modern Art for questioning. As the night deepens, stories twist, motives unravel, and the truth finally surfaces. Who had the means? Who had the motive? And who had the opportunity to steal one of the most iconic paintings in modern art? Listen as Detectives Kelly and Forrest piece together the clues in a finale filled with confessions, contradictions, and the ultimate reveal of the thief behind The Persistence of Memory. Was it an act of obsession, ambition, or art itself? Find out in this second and final episode of An Art History Mystery. Resources and Links Join the Art of Ed Community Check out the Community's Halloween Costume Contest How Mysteries Can Make Learning Exciting 6 Creepy Artworks for Halloween Art Teacher Horror Stories

A locked museum. Five eccentric art teachers. One missing Salvador Dalí masterpiece. In this special fiction-meets-art-history podcast, you'll step into the MoMA after hours, where a professional development retreat turns into something much more sinister. What begins as an inspiring evening quickly spirals into chaos when Dalí's The Persistence of Memory disappears. Each teacher has their quirks, secrets, and possible motives: Delilah Rose – the bubbly Ms. Frizzle of the art room, all glitter glue and good intentions… but is she too innocent? Solomon Ochre – the arrogant competitor, desperate to showcase his talent and prove his importance. Amber Russell – indifferent, sarcastic, observant, and maybe secretly brilliant. Madison Periwinkle – the "artfluencer", livestreaming for clout and sharing her entire teaching experience. Robert Celadon – the old school purist, obsessed with tradition, forgery, and art history. When the painting vanishes, suspicion falls on them all. With quirky detectives, unreliable security, and tangled motives, this is more than a PD event—it's a full-blown art heist mystery. Listen now to experience a story blending art history, teaching art, and true-crime-style suspense. Can you solve the mystery before the detectives do? Resources and Links Join the Art of Ed Community Check out the Community's Halloween Costume Contest How Mysteries Can Make Learning Exciting 6 Creepy Artworks for Halloween Art Teacher Horror Stories

In this episode from the archives of Art Ed Radio, Tim Bogatz is joined by author and assessment expert Katie White to explore how thoughtful assessment practices can nurture a culture of creativity in the art room. Katie shares insights from her decades in education and explains how assessment, when reimagined, can become a powerful tool for decision-making, reflection, and growth. Together, they discuss how to create safe spaces for risk-taking, why delaying criteria setting can spark deeper exploration, and how observation and conversation are just as valid as portfolios or rubrics. Whether you're just beginning to think about assessment or looking for new strategies to integrate it into your creative classroom, this conversation is full of practical advice and fresh perspectives. Resources and Links Challenges to Foster Creativity Cultivating Creativity in Our Students Read Katie's book Unlocked: Assessment as the Key to Everyday Creativity in the Classroom Check out Katie's website

Tim Bogatz and Amanda Heyn are back this week with the Art Ed Radio October Mailbag! After a few updates on everything happening in the Art of Ed Community, they dive into a variety of listener questions. Listen as they discuss the best lessons for your observations, their favorite strategies for sub tubs, and ideas on how to get middle schoolers engaged, plus offer some advice on what to do if your painting lesson isn't quite going how you hoped. Resources and Links Check out the Art of Ed Community and join in the conversation! See the Art of Ed's FLEX Curriculum Simplify and De-Stress Your Sub Plans The Quiz About the Teacher that Amanda mentioned 10 Better Ways to Balance Work and Life See John Hansen's gamification board on Art Teacher Cribs Learn more about the Art Ed NOW Conference

In today's episode of Art Ed Radio, Brooke Morse joins Tim and shares her journey in art education, discussing her teaching philosophy, curriculum development, and the balance between structure and student choice in the classroom. She emphasizes the importance of artist statements, self-reflection, and the role of art as a means of personal expression and community connection. Brooke also offers valuable insights and advice for educators looking to implement TAB (Teaching for Artistic Behavior) in their classrooms. Resources and Links Join the Art of Ed Community Follow Brooke on Instagram View Brooke's website What Do New Teachers Need to Know About Curriculum?