Ok. So now it's official...I think. I'm still waiting on the board minutes to be amended. I'll be teaching art next year. It will be my 33rd year of teaching, but only my 2nd year teaching art. My life has come full circle. Ironically, cutbacks made me move out of art education in the early 80's. Now cutbacks are giving me the opportunity to become the teacher I started out to become; an art teacher.
Our school has been trying to reduce positions through attrition, so when teachers retire, they don't hire if they can avoid it. So I was faced with taking the Art position or bumping a less senior colleague out of their job as an elementary teacher. In this economy, I just couldn't do that to someone even if I had more experience teaching the elementary grades.
You see for 13 years I have been the technology teacher in a K-12 building in the Adirondack Park in New York. Before that I was an elementary teacher for 14 years in Texas. I earned a gifted education endorsement and an ESL certification there too. There's also 5 years teaching in several private schools between public school gigs as well; 1 art, 2 elementary and 2 technology.
So here I am and oddly enough I am excited and frightened at the same time. The current Art teacher who is retiring you probably know as Phyl from There's a Dragon in My Art Room. She has turned me on to the blogging world. It was the boost I needed to feel confident enough to take this position on. I have been scouring the blogs for ideas to teach and wow are there many great ideas out there. I'm going to say "Thanks" now to all you bloggers, because you are going to get me through this first year as I get my "Art Wings" back. I hope to contribute too, but be patient with me. It may take a while.