Hi everyone, I am a qualified Creative Arts Therapist (Drama Therapy) and have been assisting in teaching art to elementary level students in Ireland.( I have also taught drama here). I want to teach art at elementary level in the US (where I am a citizen). My undergraduate is unrelated to art, although I have taken art classes. I wonder would it be best to go back to school for a BA or a master's to teach ? I have also worked as an ABA tutor in US schools and a TESL teacher in adult education. I appreciate any advice you have to offer. Best regards, Julie
All I will say is that art is one of those jobs that can be very hard to land - it is one of those classes constantly going on the chopping block in budget crunches. I would give it a great deal of consideration. Perhaps ESL certification would give you a better foot in the door. I would never, however, tell someone to teach something they don't love.
Welcome to A to Z, Julie! Galway's a lovely place. In the US, in contrast to Ireland, education is primarily a function of the individual states' governments - not that the federal government isn't involved (it is), but the details of teacher certification are left to the states, and the practical consequence for you is that what you need to do depends very heavily on exactly where you'd like to teach. Some states don't even have art teachers per se at the elementary level; some states prefer that teachers have a bachelor's degree in elementary education, though all or nearly all of those have some workaround involving a postgraduate education program; most will require you to take a basic skills test and whichever subject-matter exam they accept (and they tend to be fussy about accepting other states' tests); some won't let you teach art unless you've majored in it, others simply want to see a major's worth of coursework on your transcripts, and still others are happy if you can pass the aforementioned subject-matter test.
To put out another thought. Besides the difficulty getting the job and the requirements being different in every state, a BA in art ed versus an MA in art ed is the difference of a few thousand to several thousand dollars in your pay schedule, depending on your state and district within that state.
I am going to make a suggestion, after all. Do whatever is cheapest and quickest to get you into the classroom. I completed my masters recently, and I can affirm that I learned so much more from the graduate courses when I could relate it to my actual experience teaching. Additionally, I was eligible for tuition reimbursement which greatly diminished my cost to acquire that masters degree. I had a couple of students in varied classes who had never taught, and they were sometimes lost in the discussions. Just my own personal observation. Depending on where you are, you may also need to become certified, or want to be certified, in K-6. That can be an endorsement or your major focus if you desire and have the credits and can pass the exams.
I would prefer to go for MA or BA in art education as there is so much scope in this field. Want to search jobs in Orlando Florida and get good one.
Art Education Thanks everyone for all your help. My main query is whether I would need to have an undergraduate degree in art in order to get on a Masters course in art and or to become certified to teach at elementary school level?
