As we approach winter break, Tim takes the opportunity to discuss the different types of art teachers and how they approach their time away from teaching. He asks the question--what type of winter break art teacher are you? An Overachiever, a Relaxation Specialist, or a Creative? He says teachers may exhibit a mix of these traits, and asks you to reflect on which type you identify with or which type you may want to be. He closes the show with book recommendations for relaxation specialists and creatives, as well as insights into how famous artists may approach their winter breaks.

• • Join the Art of Ed Community
  • Creative Exercises and Prompts
  • Mindfulness Ideas from AOEU
  • The Art of Doing Nothing
  • Art Before Breakfast

Janet Taylor joins Tim today to talk about some of the challenges we are facing in the art room--the things that have us riding the #StruggleBus. Taking suggestions and advice from the Art of Ed Community, the discussion covers art teacher struggles with art history, assessment, organization, teaching Gen Alpha, and more. Listen as Tim and Janet discuss these topics and the importance of finding solutions, sharing ideas, and building connections with other educators so we can feel less alone in navigating these challenges.

• Join the Art of Ed Community
• AOEU Resources on Organization, Assessment, and Art History
• Strategies to Engage Gen Alpha Students

Following Thanksgiving last week, Amanda Heyn is back with Tim in the December mailbag to answer listener questions and offer advice. They begin with a fun but meandering conversation on wishlists, food takes, and a variety of other topics (skip to about 14:00 if you just want to hear the art teaching advice).  They then talk about organization, dealing with unreasonable requests from your principal, and what report cards are really saying. The episode finishes with a quick version This or That: Winter Edition.

• Find and Join the Art of Ed Community
• Learn more about the NOW Conference
• Organization Ideas from AOEU
• 7 Tips for Setting Boundaries in the Art Room
• How to Have Successful Conversations with Parents
• 5 Ways to Build Better Relationships with Parents

In this episode from the archives, Chelsea Fleming joins the show to talk about how we can live into gratitude. Listen as Tim and Chelsea discuss their shared disdain for gratitude journals, the importance of reflection, and why we should try to show appreciation and kindness to ourselves.

• Listen to Chelsea's last appearance on the podcast
• How to Take Care of Yourself and Avoid Burnout
• Read more about Susan Cain's Bittersweet
• Learn about Michael Bungay Stainer

Kyle Wood is back on today's episode to talk with Tim about how we can give back to the field of art education and pay it forward. The conversation covers the importance of building a community of art teachers, being willing to share ideas and lessons, and taking on mentorship roles. They also highlight the value of advocating for art education and talk about ways in which art teachers can express gratitude for the art ed community and take positive action to support and strengthen the field. And, if you want to stick around until the end, Kyle dives into This or That: Art History Edition.

• Take the 2025 State of Art Ed survey
• See the 2024 survey results
• Join the Art of Ed Community
• Read Kyle Wood's articles, and listen to the Who Arted? podcast
• More Advocacy Resources from AOEU

Dr. Theresa Haugen, curriculum specialist and associate professor at AOEU, joins Tim today to discuss the importance of advocacy in art education. Listen as their conversation covers how we can make our programs visible, the connections we can build within our school and our community, and how advocacy can benefit both students and teachers. They also spend time talking about The Center for the Advancement of Art Education (CAAE) and give advice for finding resources that can help make advocacy an ongoing habit.

• • Take the 2025 State of Art Education Survey
  • See the 2024 survey results and listen to the podcast Tim mentioned
  • See more about the Center for the Advancement of Art Education (CAAE)
  • Read the Visual Arts Advantage report
  • More Advocacy Resources from AOEU

It is time for the November mailbag, and Amanda Heyn is back with Tim to answer listener questions and offer advice. They begin with some recommendations for art-related streaming shows, then move on to a conversation on how we keep multiple classes aligned on the curriculum schedule. Finally, they tackle the debate on whether we should be taking of points when students turn in their work past the due date. And stick around for some of Amanda's unhinged food takes during This or That: Thanksgiving Foods Edition.

• Find and Join the Art of Ed Community
• Between the Folds documentary
• See the Art21 website
• Made You Look on Netflix
• And the corresponding Made You Look podcast
• Get The Picture by Bianca Bosker
• What to Do When You've Only Got a Pencil and Paper
• Resources from AOEU on One-Day Lessons
• Resources from AOEU on Parent-Teacher Conferences

In the AOEU Community, we asked for teachers to share some horror stories from their time in the classroom, and the submissions did not disappoint! Some of the most hilarious and awful stories you can imagine are being shared, and Amanda Heyn is here with Tim to react to everything teachers have seen, done, and experienced. Listen as they discuss art rooms full of ghosts and apparitions, weird animal sightings, injuries, and horrific behaviors!  

• • Find more horror stories in the AOEU Community
  • Listen to the original Episode of Horror Stories
  • 6 Creepy Artworks to Celebrate Halloween
  • The Best Art-Inspired Halloween Costumes
  • Art History Costume Ideas

In today's episode, Jen Leban joins Tim to talk about artificial intelligence and how it might affect the world of art education. In this conversation, they discuss their curiosity when it comes to AI and share some of their own explorations with various AI tools. Listen as they discuss their ethical concerns with these tools, the possibilities for teacher use and artistic creations, and the importance of thoughtful use and AI literacy.

• • Find Jen on Instagram and in the AOEU Community
  • Learn about the AI and Art Education graduate course
  • AI Prompt Engineering for Art Teachers
  • Creating Digital Surrealism with AI
  • AI and the Environment
  • How AI is Changing Photography
  • Check out Claudio Zavala and Adobe Express

Kyle Wood is back as a guest today as he and Tim talk about their favorite sci-fi artists to share with their students. Listen as they discuss the connections between art and science fiction, as well as explore various artists whose work intersects with themes of futurism, technology, and imagination. Hear what they have to say about Salvador Dali, Yayoi Kusama, Cai Guo-Qiang, and so many more artists--both historical and contemporary--who explore speculative themes, blurring the lines between reality, imagination, and science in their work.

• • Read Kyle Wood's articles, and listen to the Who Arted? podcast
  • Tony Oursler's Alien Invasion
  • Check out the work of Rosemary Lee and Lynn Hershman
  • You know you want to see a Cowboy Shooting a Dinosaur
  • Vija Celmins, Umberto Boccioni, and Salvador Dali

Following her NOW Conference presentation this summer about teaching with authenticity, Lyndsay Rose joins Tim today for a longer conversation on the topic. Listen as they discuss how not only authenticity, but also the importance of vulnerability and honesty when it comes to our role as teachers. The conversation also delves into suggestions on how to deal with burnout, and Lyndsay offers some of her best advice on how we can learn to fall in love with teaching again.

• • 3 Things to Appreciate in Each Phase of an Art Teacher's Career
  • Supportive Ways for Art Teachers to Deal with Burnout
  • 5 Ways to Take Care of Yourself
  • With Gratitude: A Love Letter to Art Teachers
  • What We Love About Art Teachers and Why They Matter