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What does an art teacher do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
Quoted expert
Dr. Diana Jones
What does an art teacher do

An art teacher is responsible for teaching students of art history, disciplines, and techniques to bring out the learners' maximum potential and creativity. Art teachers develop engaging plans for art strategies, ensuring the adequacy of art tools and materials for the learners' use, and design art development courses. An art teacher must have excellent knowledge of the art industry and communication and organization skills to address the different learning methods of the students and identify their areas of improvement.

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Art teacher responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real art teacher resumes:

  • Manage classes Pre-K through 6th grade on a daily basis for schedules, field trips, and arts and crafts.
  • Lead kids through snack, game time, homework time, an art lesson, and manage a gallery wall.
  • Lead debates with advance students on topics including globalization, economics, and political history.
  • Travel to local elementary schools and teach fine art lessons that incorporate history, math, and science.
  • plan and teach art to grades k-6
  • Teach visual arts to students grade k-8.
  • Coach flag football, softball, and basketball.
  • Teach k-8 drama and dance as an arts specialist.
  • Create lesson plans and implement to studentsgrades k-5 during summer camp.
  • Plan art curriculum for each grade level (k-5th grades).
  • Assist in all sports including volleyball, basketball, and track.
  • Create and execute class syllabus and a full year's lesson plan.
  • Direct and head the art division of the summer program for grades k-12.
  • Head coach for UNO Garcia high school boys and girls varsity soccer teams.
  • Encourage creativity and teach techniques in a variety of medium for grade Pre-K -6th grade

Art teacher skills and personality traits

We calculated that 21% of Art Teachers are proficient in Classroom Management, Professional Development, and Art Curriculum. They’re also known for soft skills such as Physical stamina, Interpersonal skills, and Speaking skills.

We break down the percentage of Art Teachers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Classroom Management, 21%

    Received exceeded expectations remarks in mid-year and yearly performance evaluations by the principal in classroom management and working with other teachers.

  • Professional Development, 6%

    Conducted daily professional development sessions to classroom teachers to enhance their understanding of and ability to integrate art into their curriculum.

  • Art Curriculum, 5%

    Advocated and achieved increased technology use in classroom Designed and implemented digital art curriculum for student laptop utilization with district oversight !

  • Student Learning, 4%

    Collaborated with teachers throughout the school to develop interdisciplinary lessons that enhanced student learning across the curriculum.

  • Art History, 4%

    Provide a basic understanding and appreciation of art history through classroom discussion and practical connections.

  • K-12, 4%

    Developed and implemented art curricula for emotionally handicapped students grades K-12

"classroom management," "professional development," and "art curriculum" are among the most common skills that art teachers use at work. You can find even more art teacher responsibilities below, including:

Physical stamina. One of the key soft skills for an art teacher to have is physical stamina. You can see how this relates to what art teachers do because "working with kindergarten- and elementary-age students can be tiring." Additionally, an art teacher resume shows how art teachers use physical stamina: "worked with mentally and physically challenged adults with art projects and focused on indiv. "

Communication skills. Another crucial skill for an art teacher to carry out their responsibilities is "communication skills." A big part of what art teachers relies on this skill, since "teachers need to discuss students’ needs with parents and administrators." How this skill relates to art teacher duties can be seen in an example from an art teacher resume snippet: "maintain dynamic, structured classroom environment and strong parent communication. "

All art teacher skills

The three companies that hire the most art teachers are:

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Compare different art teachers

Art teacher vs. Teacher internship

Teaching interns are individuals who assist teachers and educators in the classroom. The interns are instructed to fulfill the tasks set out and provided by the supervisors for them. They take part in meetings and jot down their minutes. It is part of their job to conduct research at the request of the supervisor. They make updates to social media platforms and make posts. Also, they create images to be used in posts through different social media platforms.

If we compare the average art teacher annual salary with that of a teacher internship, we find that teacher interns typically earn a $1,790 lower salary than art teachers make annually.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both art teacher and teacher internship positions are skilled in classroom management, professional development, and student learning.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between art teachers and teacher internship. For instance, art teacher responsibilities require skills such as "art curriculum," "art history," "k-12," and "art classes." Whereas a teacher internship is skilled in "classroom management strategies," "learning styles," "parent-teacher conferences," and "physical education." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Teacher interns tend to make the most money working in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $47,436. In contrast, art teachers make the biggest average salary, $49,855, in the education industry.The education levels that teacher interns earn slightly differ from art teachers. In particular, teacher interns are 4.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an art teacher. Additionally, they're 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Art teacher vs. Elementary school teacher

Elementary school teachers are trained to provide education to children from kindergarten through fifth grade. The teachers are responsible for children's emotional and educational growth in the classroom. They manage the resources and materials to be used for their education. It is part of their duties to evaluate the students' performance, social development, physical health, and behavior. Also, they adapt to teaching methods and instructions to meet the interests and needs of the children.

On average, elementary school teachers earn a $1,973 higher salary than art teachers a year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both art teachers and elementary school teachers have skills such as "classroom management," "professional development," and "student learning. "

Each career also uses different skills, according to real art teacher resumes. While art teacher responsibilities can utilize skills like "art curriculum," "art history," "k-12," and "art classes," elementary school teachers use skills like "math," "student performance," "curriculum development," and "instructional strategies."

Elementary school teachers earn a higher average salary than art teachers. But elementary school teachers earn the highest pay in the government industry, with an average salary of $56,048. Additionally, art teachers earn the highest salaries in the education with average pay of $49,855 annually.elementary school teachers earn similar levels of education than art teachers in general. They're 3.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for art teachers in the next 3-5 years?

Dr. Diana JonesDr. Diana Jones LinkedIn profile

Chair, Department of Kinesiology, Anderson University

Technology in the next 3-5 years -- That is a tough question because technology is continually changing. However, I would say whatever learning system their school provides (e.g., Canvas, Blackboard, etc.), they should get to know. Also, the technology that involves making/editing videos of teaching would be necessary. The technique that includes exercise, fitness, sports such as heart rate monitors, Fitbits, etc. Finally, a technology that allows interactions between teachers and students and students and students.

Art teacher vs. Long term substitute teacher

A long term substitute teacher is responsible for covering the duties of a teacher who is away for a long time. Long term substitute teachers proceed with the lesson plan outlines and the regular teacher's curriculum depending on their expertise. They monitor and assess the students' behavior, create an engaging learning environment, evaluate the students' learning progress by conducting a series of tests, create reports of the students' performance, and help students struggling with the subject.

On average, long term substitute teachers earn lower salaries than art teachers, with a $7,380 difference per year.Using the responsibilities included on art teachers and long term substitute teachers resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "classroom management," "professional development," and "student learning.rdquo;

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from art teacher resumes include skills like "art curriculum," "art history," "art classes," and "art program," whereas a long term substitute teacher is more likely to list skills in "long-term substitute," "math," "social development," and "learning styles. "

Long term substitute teachers make a very good living in the education industry with an average annual salary of $44,729. On the other hand, art teachers are paid the highest salary in the education industry, with average annual pay of $49,855.Most long term substitute teachers achieve a similar degree level compared to art teachers. For example, they're 3.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Art teacher vs. Summer school teacher

A Summer School Teacher is a teacher who works during the summer period. They develop and implement schemes of work and lesson plans in line with curriculum objectives. Generally, they have the same duties as a school teacher.

Summer school teachers average a higher salary than the annual salary of art teachers. The difference is about $2,640 per year.While both art teachers and summer school teachers complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like classroom management, professional development, and student learning, the two careers vary in some skills.

Even though a few skill sets overlap between art teachers and summer school teachers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an art teacher might have more use for skills like "art curriculum," "art history," "art classes," and "kindergarten." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of summer school teachers require skills like "math," "kids," "cpr," and "english language. "

The education industry tends to pay the highest salaries for summer school teachers, with average annual pay of $51,590. Comparatively, the highest art teacher annual salary comes from the education industry.The average resume of summer school teachers showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to art teachers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 3.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.3%.

Types of art teacher

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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