Ok so remember when I shared the news that i would be at 3 schools this year? Well I am pleased to say that I earned a day back at my home school due to some logistical discrepancies. I am beyond thrilled about this!! So now that I am only travelling to one other school I wanted to share a little bit about it like how I did last year. Since I was switched over there several weeks into the school year I really had to hit the ground running. I had zero time to organize, plan, prep, or set up. I basically walked in and started the show. I can honestly say that I am really glad that I am seasoned enough to be able to handle that kind of change – had that occurred my first or second year I would have been flipping out! Luckily, the itinerants who had been there before me left the room in excellent condition. It is an old band/orchestra room which I currently share with the music itinerant and some O.T. people so it is a little odd and quirky but I am definitely making it work. Here is the view when you first walk in:

Directly on the left when you walk in is a piano and a weird slanted shelf that I have adapted into my sample/essential questions display. (It is in need to updating!)

Directly to the right is the supply/sink/instrument storage/Occupational Therapy room:

To be honest this room is super weird and I am completely convinced it is haunted. Also can we talk about this giant swing contraption in the middle? On second thought. . . perhaps it is better left unsaid. The supply shelf makes me want to faint because everything is everywhere but eventually I will try and get around to organizing it. There are glaze bottles from the prehistoric age (I swear) that are slowly decomposing in there.

Next is the giant whiteboard and instrument shelf:

Then there is a little storage closet which is blocking the only window in the room. Whoever designed this was clearly not a fan of daylight.

Please excuse the precarious marker box tower. Trust me, when I first opened it this thing was much worse and not even remotely organized. Being an itinerant is a constant work in progress. Since I am only at this school one day a week, I do what I can when I can.

Speaking of organizing, I was beyond ecstatic when my 3rd graders helped me sort and stack papers by color, shape, and size last week in these shelves. The white shelves on top house their sketchbooks and works in progress. The box of drums belongs to the music itinerant and I am tempted to paint them every time! (Don’t worry I won’t :-P)

This front table is where I put the supplies we will be using that day. It is really nice to have a place to do this it makes for easy pass out and easy clean up! Last week they installed a big bright beautiful projector which shines with the light from a thousand suns and all the colors of the wind. I am so thankful for this because the set-up I had before with a portable projector was janky at best.

My desk is in the corner with the rules and schedule:

Now this big room has awfully big, white, empty walls that I did not have time to decorate with posters and cutesy teachery things. So instead I decided that the student’s artwork will decorate the room. I am hoping that by the end of the year it will be a glorious gallery showcasing all of the student’s hard work.

The back wall has 2 bulletin boards. One was already decorated when I arrived and I liked the colors and the project and the kids are so proud so I left it up. The other one is what I did on the first day I was with the students to get to know them (more info on that here)

So there you have it. The space where I spend my Wednesdays.

I will say that while being a travelling art teacher definitely has its negative aspects, there are plenty of positive aspects as well. It is really interesting to see how different schools do things – each one has a different flavor and style. It is also great to be able to work with other art teachers! I have been so fortunate to get to work with some absolutely amazing and inspiring art teachers all of whom have taught me a trick or two. Getting to collaborate with another art teacher is something I am thankful for, not everyone gets that sort of opportunity especially in the art ed world! It is also kind of cool to break up the week, it makes the weekend arrive a whole lot quicker.

I hope that you enjoyed this tour. Until next time,

❤ Ms. K