RE: Accepting Student Teachers
I've become super-picky about accepting student teachers. Although
I use to receive requests nearly every semester, requests have slowed
down since I've "put it out there" that I only seriously consider
candidates with either an art undergraduate degree or comparable
experience, like a former career as an artist. This may seem harsh,
but the typical art ed programs in our area only require 2-4 studio
classes, not nearly enough!!! I spent so much time teaching teacher
candidates how to do clay, or print, or use Illustrator, etc., that I
felt like a professor myself. I think our position as art teachers
encompasses so much---knowledge of tons of media, technology, art
history, plus how to write curriculum, assess, etc., that most 4 year
undergraduate programs would leave teaching candidates with gaps.
(Plus, my own background is a BFA, followed by 14 years as a
professional artist before happily going to grad school and becoming a
teacher.)
