What are the pros and cons of being an art teacher?

The pros and cons of being an art teacher relate to sharing your love of art with your students, creativity, and limited resources. Here are the top pros and cons of being an art teacher:

Pros:

• Sharing your love of art with your students

As an art teacher you get to try to pass on your passion and love of art to the students you teach. You might get the opportunity to teach art students of all ages and help them find ways to express themselves and develop a passion for art just like you. Watching your students learn, develop, and grow creatively over time can be a very rewarding experience.

• Creativity

As an art teacher you get to use your own creativity, it is a necessity of the job after all. You might provide your students with demonstrations on how to create a still-life illustration, create a collage, or paint an abstract painting. No matter what you are teaching them, you are required to use your own creativity to awaken and invigorate your students.

• Art teachers can have a significant impact

Many art teachers are able to greatly impact their students positively. They often get to open themselves up to different forms of creativity and art and self-expression. You can give your students a boost in terms of their confidence and creative capabilities.

• Job demand

Job demand and security for art teachers is actually fairly high. Many schools, both private and public, have art programs or classes. You also get to choose what grade level you want to teach from preschool all the way through college.

Cons:

• Limited Resources

While the demand for art teachers may be high, the resources and funding dedicated to art programs are sometimes the first items to be cut in a school that is experiencing a budget setback. This means that some art teachers have to work with limited space, supplies, and other vital resources they need to teach art properly.

• Different students

Most art teachers must be prepared to use many different approaches to teaching individual students. It can take a lot of energy and time to determine the best teaching strategy for each student. Since art is a more freeform discipline, this makes it hard for art teachers to use a standard or universal teaching approach.

This can depend on what grade level you are teaching art, however, most art classes tend to get at least a little bit messy. This is due to paint, charcoal, and all the other types of materials your students might be using.

• Poor compensation

While this isn't true for all art teachers, many do receive salaries that are less than their colleagues teaching other subjects. Oftentimes an art teacher's salary does not match their experience level, skills, talents, and teaching abilities. In addition, many art teachers work on a contract basis or part-time, meaning they have a difficult time sustaining consistent income.