Ep. 466 - The May Mailbag: Teacher Appreciation, Difficult Co-Workers, and the End of the Year

In the May Mailbag episode, Tim and Amanda answer a wide range of listener questions, from wrapping up the school year to prepping for next year, handling difficult coworkers, and even navigating retirement. Amanda shares exciting updates about The Art of Ed Community, including Teacher Appreciation giveaways and a special Art Club Live event on May 8th. The duo also chats about Impact Week, their personal gardening adventures, and tips for end-of-year activities, from messy projects and outdoor art to room clean-up strategies. The episode wraps with a fun speed round of listener questions, offering quick ideas and helpful resources for art shows, paint distribution, clay projects without a kiln, and more. Resources and Links Join the Art of Ed Community Ask The Experts: Painting and 13 Palette Ideas 40 End of Year Cleanup Jobs for Students Art Show Secrets The Perfect One-Day Lesson Air Dry Clay Ideas and Podcasts

Kyle Wood returns to the show today to talk with Tim about some of their favorite lesser-known artists in art history, and share ideas on why we need to move beyond the traditional art historical canon. Ranging from Abstract Expressionism to Surrealism, Impressionism to Cubism, they pass right by the Picassos and Pollocks and talk about Janet Sobel, Remedios Varo, Charuvi Agrawal, and so many more artists that can expand your students' views on art history. They finish the show by discussing how a more representative set of artists in your curriculum can lead to understanding, engagement, and empowerment for your students. Resources and Links Join the Art of Ed Community Listen to Who Arted? and Fun Facts Daily from Kyle Art Ed Radio Ep. 009: No More Dead White Guys! 6 Contemporary Artists Storytelling, Art History, and Student Engagement

Community manager Jen Leban joins Tim today to talk about the importance of spring cleaning and the Art of Ed Community challenges that have helped teachers get their rooms in order. Their discussion highlights the importance of decluttering supplies, tells a few stories of bizarre items found in classrooms, and stresses the balance between being resourceful and hoarding. They urge everyone to start small—even five minutes a week—to create a more organized, functional space in the art room. Resources and Links Join the Art of Ed Community Art Room Makeover View the community discussion on strange discoveries Tips and Tricks to Match Your Organization Style

Author and psychologist Sheila Sharpe joins the show to talk with Tim about her new book, Artist, Lover, Forger, Thief. After sharing some early career stories from her time in the classroom, Sheila talks about her painting career and her time as a psychologist. She then tells how those experiences informed the book, delving into art forgery stories, the growing problem of art crime globally, and her goal of weaving an entertaining thriller while also educating readers about this shadowy side of the art world. Resources and Links Find Artist, Lover, Forger, Thief on Amazon Read reviews of the book on Booktopia See Sheila's website Find Sheila on Instagram

Better late than never, Amanda and Tim are back with the April mailbag! They begin with a discussion on their trip to NAEA and interacting with the art teacher community. And maybe a little garden talk because spring is here? They then get into a conversation on how we help kids accept being told no, a discussion on shifting jobs, and follow that with advice on putting together a curriculum and dealing with different expectations when it comes to which artworks are appropriate in your classroom. Full episode transcript below. Resources and Links Be part of the Community discussion on Accepting 'No' 3 Considerations When Taking a New Job Listen to last month's mailbag with a discussion about spiraling curriculum What Do New Teachers Need to Know About Curriculum? Join the Art of Ed Community

Andrea Slusarski returns to the show today to talk with Tim about creativity, pop culture, and making connections in the classroom! They begin with a discussion on how pop culture and visual culture can be used to connect with students in the art room, and how pop culture can inspire our creative endeavors. Listen as they talk about ideas on how to connect when we don't understand our students' cultural interests, the touchstones that we share across generations, and how what kids are seeing every day can lead to deeper discussions about art and art history. Resources and Links Challenges to Foster Creativity Cultivating Creativity in Our Students Listen to Slu on being a teaching artist Join the Art of Ed Community

In today's episode from the archives, Tim is joined by educator Yunga Webb to talk about her role and efforts at the North Country School in upstate New York to help students find their place and belonging through the power of the arts. Listen as they discuss the programs at her school, the activities she does to foster belonging in her classrooms, and the work we can all do to create a community and a space that offers belonging for all of our students.  Resources and Links Take a look at the North Country School A Simple Way to Increase Student Engagement Learn more about AOEU's NOW Conference  

Continuing on with the Youth Art Month discussions, Tim invites the stars of AOE's Art Show Secrets on the podcast to share some of those secrets and their ideas for putting together a successful show. First, Jenn Russell talks about how to feature more students' work, as well as how to make your art show more interactive. Then, Sarah Krajewski talks about her prep work, her strategies for engagement, and how students can help run the show. Both interviews share ideas on how to highlight your students' art, advocate for your program, and help your community be part of the show. Resources and Links Watch Art Show Secrets on YouTube Get Ready to Wow: Tips for Your Art Show Secrets to an Epic Art Show Listen to Lindsey Moss and Sarah discuss Drive-Thru Art Shows Hear Jenn talk about how she teaches drawing Join the Art of Ed Community

In this episode from the archives, Dr. Theresa Haugen, curriculum specialist and associate professor at AOEU, joins Tim to discuss the importance of advocacy in art education. Listen as their conversation covers how we can make our programs visible, the connections we can build within our school and our community, and how advocacy can benefit both students and teachers. They also spend time talking about The Center for the Advancement of Art Education (CAAE) and give advice for finding resources that can help make advocacy an ongoing habit. Resources and Links Take the 2025 State of Art Education Survey See the 2024 survey results and listen to the podcast Tim mentioned See more about the Center for the Advancement of Art Education (CAAE) Read the Visual Arts Advantage report More Advocacy Resources from AOEU

Amanda is back for the March mailbag today! As always, she and Tim take listener questions and share some of their best advice. The show starts with an introduction to Tim's dog rating scale and a story about Amanda's prolific baking experiences (for an art show, of course!). They discuss helping students in creative ways, moving classes outside, dealing with parents, and then close the show with a long discussion on curriculum.  Resources and Links Join the Art of Ed Community Check out the Art Ed NOW Conference Read the Community discussion on misophonia Try this podcast (or this one!) about making art outdoors Amanda's scholarly research on curriculum Check out Curriculum PRO Packs Explore FLEX Curricula See the Designing Your Art Curriculum graduate course