And so it begins...

Helloooooooo 2017/2018 school year,  and my 13th year of teaching! Whoa. 13 years... usually 13 is an unlucky number, you know, Friday the 13th... but it happens to be lucky for me. My name is Tyler and I am the art teacher at a middle school in Stafford, Virginia. I teach 6th 7th and 8th grade students. My 7th and 8th graders see me every other day (X/Y) for a semester, 85-93 minutes per class.  6th grade is either 9 weeks 40 minutes every other day or semester 40 minutes every day. 

So last year I started the year with a NASTY attitude and it never went away.. from teacher week on. It started with hardly any time to work in my classroom before school started and I just felt like I never got my head above water, not to mention I had TERRIBLE class combinations, so overall is was an awful year.

This year I am being POSITIVE!!  In doing a pretty good job, if I do say so myself!  Today is Friday, so now that I've come to the end of my work week, in ready to share my room and some of the things I'm doing in my class this year. 

So this is my classroom, I actually have two classrooms (lucky me!!) as my school used to be a high school and there were two connected art rooms.


 My room is an explosion of color and is every bit as distracting as it could possibly be :) 

Our school theme this year is "Oh the places you'll go"

My contribution to the theme:

Other ideas I've had this year (thank you Pinterest) 

My pencil system consists of flagged and numbered pencils, the number corresponds with a number at each seat in my room. I have found this to be the most effect way of not losing so many pencils.

Pool noodle markers:


Hall passes: I only allow one student of each sex out of the room at a time so this is a good visual for me to remember when someone is gone. 

This is my idea for students who are struggling with the ability to work on projects in class.. students who are not working approproately. This is my Art Reading and writing center. Students have two ways to learn about art.. creating it or reading and writing about it. Students who struggle with the first because of behavior will be invited to the R and W center to read scholastic art magazines and complete written assignments. It's my first year trying this so we'll see how it works. . 

Lastly for this year is my 'teacher art supplies center' I've set this up for the core teachers to be able to borrow/use my old supplies that are still good, this is also new so we'll see how it goes. 

So school starts Tuesday, wish me luck!