Back to School Organization and Classroom Management

It's that time of year again, when the nights get crisp and cool and your weekday beach days are sadly coming to an end...

While I love Fall, the start of a new school year is a bittersweet.  I am losing my summer full of "Me Time," but I also get to meet hundreds of new budding artists and organize for a year of teaching elementary art.  Yes, that's right, I get excited about organizing, color-coding, page protectors... yes, all of it.  Aren't art teachers supposed to be crazy, wacky ladies who live in organized chaos?  They should thrive in the kind of mess where only the mess-maker knows where everything is.
Not me.
Although, I 'm pretty sure I register somewhere on the crazy/wacky scale.  Anyways, my organization will work in your favor- I will be posting many clearly outlined and illustrated elementary visual art lessons this year!
Stay tuned for The Green Paintbrush's 2014-2015 Elementary Art Adventure!


With only nine more days until I see my paint-smearing Munchkins again, I am in poster-making central at the moment.  Here are some screen shots of smaller versions of my Classroom Management posters.  Most were inspired by fellow art teachers on Pinterest, feel free to be inspired by mine as well.






I've simplified my Art Room rules to just three rules that are easier for wee minds to remember but broad enough that they still cover all the bases.
My consequences last year left much to be desired... they required too much busy-work on my part (running to the board to write up names or make check-marks) and they were too harsh.  As a result, I wasn't the enforcer I should have been.  This year it will be different! (Maybe?  Hopefully?)  I now have four steps of Art Room consequences, which (unfortunately, yes) are necessary for some individuals.

I feel like having the Notes Home and Office Behavior Forms ready to fill out immediately and with the problem student present will have a big impact. We shall see . . .











I'm also going to post visuals of my daily grading rubrics in my classrooms (and on my cart) so that students are aware of how their effort and behavior affect their daily and quarterly art grades.




Well there's the start to my Classroom Management system this year!  I will post about Art Stars, Art Bucks, and Art Jobs next week.  What management systems are you planning to use with your art classes this year?


-  Jayme

The Green Paintbrush