Classroom Information

Art Room Procedures

The Art Room is a place of creativity and fun! But there has to be order too, so that everyone can enjoy the art room environment. The following information outlines typical procedures that your student(s) will experience in the art room.

The rules are posted at the front of the room above the white board for everyone to see. My rules are simple: 1. Students are to show respect for: the art room, art room supplies, and their classmates. 2. No running! 3. Do not throw anything, ever! We discuss these rules in the first art class of every year. If there is a student who disobeys the rules or is about to make a wrong choice, the first step of action is a verbal warning from me. Second step of action is for the student to be removed from the situation. Often, this is to the hallway to reflect on their decision or moved to an isolated desk, away from friends and must work silently. Depending on the severity of the situation, I may send a student to the office to speak with a principal.

If the whole class is loud or disruptive, they get two warnings. These warnings are given by removing letters of the word NOISE on the white board at the front of the room. For the first warning, letter E is removed. If that does not work, letter S is removed. After the second warning, if it's still too noisy and the letter I is removed, then the word that remains is NO; this means NO TALKING. The students know what this means and I usually don’t get to this point because they hate silent art class!

All of my classes have access to supplies in the art room. They may borrow what they need, but must return the supplies at the end of class. This brings me to the next topic: Clean-up!! I will ring the bell on my desk to get their attention. I remind them of what each of their jobs are by reading the “What’s your job today?” poster. The number facing them in the center of their table correlates to a job on the green poster board. Each student is responsible for their job and must not do anyone else’s job unless their classmate is absent. You would be amazed at how the students take their clean-up time very seriously! They love having a purpose in the art room and know that working together is what makes the art room a safe and clean environment.

Just a Note...

Because the art room is a space for creativity, we tend to make a mess! Please remind your student(s) to not wear their favorite outfit on art class days. Kindergarten students are encouraged to bring in an art smock from home that they can wear each week. For the older students, I always keep a stock of art smocks in the art room for any student to wear if they are concerned about messy art making.