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GUIDE to Better Understanding Your Position
GUIDE to Better Understanding Your Position
to identify & address areas for growth
to identify & address areas for growth
School-Based Advocacy Actions
School-Based Advocacy Actions
to Encourage Greater Support for Your School's Clay Program from administrators:
to Encourage Greater Support for Your School's Clay Program from administrators:
Display students’ ceramic projects within the school,
Invite administration into the classroom while students are using clay,
Present administration with lesson plans, descriptions of learning outcomes and benefits to students, and a cost analysis of materials,
Post firing charts, and
Create posters to display in the school which describe the many benefits of clay to students' artistic, physical, cognitive, academic, emotional, and personal attribute and life skill development.
Community-Based Advocacy Actions
Community-Based Advocacy Actions
To Encourage Greater Support for Your School's Clay Program from Your Community:
To Encourage Greater Support for Your School's Clay Program from Your Community:
Fundraise or developing a DonorsChoose project,
Join clay-focused Facebook groups, and
Display students’ ceramic projects at local libraries or galleries.
Post posters in the community which describe the many benefits of clay to students' artistic, physical, cognitive, academic, emotional, and personal attribute and life skill development.
Before submitting your school's order, talk with the person who handles bids. This can sometimes help stretch your budget by $200-300 (Rachael Handel, Ceramics Teachers K-12, Facebook Group)
Connect with Other Clay Enthusiasts and Experts through these Facebook Groups:
Connect with Other Clay Enthusiasts and Experts through these Facebook Groups:
Ceramics courses, workshops worldwide
Art Teachers: Beg, Borrow, & Steal!
Art Resources for Visual Art Teachers
Elementary Art Teachers (K-5th grade)
Clay buddies (Main Group)
Clay buddies (Secondary Group)
Glaze Combos:
Used Ceramics Supplies & Furniture:
In 2019, teachers at my school, including myself, were encouraged to create a project on DonorsChoose. DonorsChoose enables teachers to request funding for items they would like or need for their classroom. While I was skeptical at how successful this program would be, I went ahead and created a project requesting a small Skutt kiln. I was happily surprised when I received a notice that a company named, OshGosh B'gosh had purchased the kiln on behalf of my school's art program. I will be sure to create more projects in the future!
-Christina Fowler
Square 1 Art is highly recommended by many elementary art teachers due to its ease and affordablity. The company provides the paper and has personalized gift purchasing options starting as low as $4 to increase the affordability of families. At the end of the fundraiser, all artwork is returned to the teacher.
School District-Based Advocacy Actions
School District-Based Advocacy Actions
To Encourage Greater Support for Your School's Clay Program from Your School District:
To Encourage Greater Support for Your School's Clay Program from Your School District:
Develop a system of communication with other art teachers in your school district,
Request and assist in the organization of a clay-focused teacher institute day,
Request and develop a list of ceramics professional development opportunities, and
Request a clay-based teacher mentor program.
Consider making a Facebook Clay Group for Your School District
Consider making a Facebook Clay Group for Your School District
This can be a convenient way to develop a line of communication with other art teachers. It would also create a platform to collaborate, share ideas, and troubleshoot problems!
This can be a convenient way to develop a line of communication with other art teachers. It would also create a platform to collaborate, share ideas, and troubleshoot problems!
Interested in a Teacher Institute Clay Day?
Interested in a Teacher Institute Clay Day?
What can I do? If you are knowledgeable and passionate about clay, consider offering to teach a segment of the clay institute day and bring clay, clay lesson plans, and project rubrics for elementary art teacher participants.
What would it involve?
During the first half of the day, elementary clay teacher-leaders could guide art teacher participants in several hands-on clay explorations, such as making a vessel, a figure, or a low-relief piece, while sharing tips for using and teaching the medium.
Then, during the second half of the day, clay teacher-leaders could provide instruction and tips for using the kiln and finishing the clay piece both with glaze and alternative finishes.
Why is this important?
Providing such a clay-based teacher institute day, filled with tips and techniques to make teaching clay more fun, engaging, and affordable for teachers and students could inspire elementary art teachers to provide more clay instruction as well as strengthen their clay pedagogy.
Furthermore, a clay-based teacher institute day could possibly even motivate art teachers to seek additional ceramics-focused professional development.
Before approaching your art content supervisor:
Gather data to present, both on the benefits of clay instruction in art education as well as on the amount of clay instruction conducted by elementary art teachers in the district, to encourage a decision in favor of offering this option.
Think your District could Benefit from More Ceramics-Focused Professional Development?
Think your District could Benefit from More Ceramics-Focused Professional Development?
What can I do?
Approach the district’s art content supervisor and request ceramics professional development opportunities.
What would it involve?
Pair this request with a list you develop of both local ceramics artists and elementary art teachers from the district who would be willing to host clay workshops as well as local places offering ceramics courses like art galleries, art centers, and community colleges.
Why is this important?
Offering local, convenient clay-focused professional development, especially if these opportunities were both differentiated to meet the various levels of the participant’s clay pedagogy and enabled instructors and participants to earn credits towards renewing their teaching certification or advancing their salary, could encourage elementary art teachers to take clay-based professional development courses.
Ceramics professional develop opportunities could provide much needed support in teaching ceramics to many of the district’s art teachers.
Before approaching your art content supervisor:
In addition to providing the art content supervisor with a list of suggested ceramics professional develop opportunities, it would also be beneficial for art teacher-leaders to communicate with other art teachers in their district to gather data in support of the need for clay-based professional development and to then present this information to the art content supervisor, as well.
WHat About a Clay-Based Teacher Mentorship Program?
WHat About a Clay-Based Teacher Mentorship Program?
What can I do?
Approach your district's art content supervisor and request a clay-based mentor program.
What would it involve?
Within this ceramics mentorship program, art teachers with greater experience teaching clay and using the kiln would be assigned to and receive a stipend for guiding and mentoring art teachers with less clay pedagogy.
Why is this important?
Simply being a veteran teacher or having many years of experience teaching art does not necessarily mean that the art teacher is an expert in teaching clay. A clay-based mentorship program could greatly benefit many of the school district's art teachers.
Before approaching your art content supervisor:
Prior to approaching the art content supervisor and requesting a clay mentorship program, communicate with other art teachers in your district to determine the general amount of art teachers' desire for such a program, their level of clay experience, and, for only those with an advanced level of clay experience, whether they would be willing to be a mentor. Gathering this data could not only demonstrates a need, but it could also help to jumpstart the process.
State & National-Based Advocacy Actions
State & National-Based Advocacy Actions
To Encourage Greater Support for Your School's Clay Program at the State & National Level:
To Encourage Greater Support for Your School's Clay Program at the State & National Level:
Become active in the state credentialing standards, and
Become an active member in at least one national art teacher organization.
Minimum Art Teacher Collegiate Ceramics Course Requirements: Concerned about the current initial collegiate academic requirements for art teachers? Consider becoming active in the state credentialing standards and suggesting that, at a minimum, anyone seeking a degree in art education be required to take a ceramics course as well as either a course on firing the kiln or a requirement of serving as a ceramics studio assistant.
Consider joining a national level art teacher association! Participating in a national level art education organization can support art teacher-leaders in connecting, exchanging ideas, collaborating, and problem-solving with other art teachers. Furthermore, within these organizations, art teacher-leaders can be encouraged to participate in interactive webinars and art shows and even speak at conferences, host events, or even submit papers for possible national publication through the organization (NAEA, 2020; NCECA, 2019).
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