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1. TALES FROM THE
TRAVELING ART
TEACHER!
WAYS TO ADAPT LESSONS FOR
CLASSROOM AND CART
Indian Springs School District #109
Justice, Illinois
talesfromthetravellingartteacher.blogspot.com

2. Marvin Bartel, Ed.D.,
February 2008
“In the U.S., every school district has its own
schedule, but generally, art teachers have their
students less than one hour per week. A
significant number of art teachers do not have
an art room with a sink, but have to take a cart
from room to room. At least 40% of the
elementary school children in the U.S. do not
have a specialist art teacher. In many cases,
art is taught by the classroom art teacher or a
volunteer that often lacks teaching preparation
in art education.”

3. My Story
 I used to travel to 3 schools! I’m the first art teacher to
stay on in over ten years. My list of activities include:

4. Creative Expressions Art Contest

5. Contests, including community.

6. Public and School Displays

7. After School Art Projects

8. Musical Props for all 3 Schools

9. More?????
 Additional duties for each
school include:
 Lesson Product prep
work
 Board member meeting
displays
 Art Spokesperson for
Rising Star
 Student/Staff Cultural
Support Committee
 The all around go-to for
visual work
 Lunch, Car, Bus,
T.S.P.E. duty

10. George T. Wilkins Elementary
 “Home Base”
 Lowest income school in district, 80%
 Shared Classroom with music/orchestra
 Kindergarten-6th grade
 23 classes in 3 1/2 days
 Kiln in Junior High!!!!!!

11. Robina Lyle Elementary
 Middle income school, mostly
Arabic and Polish
 Cart and Shared Storage Room
with janitor/PTC, This year I have
a room!
 Grades K-6
 One and a half days a week

12. Former Player Primary
Center
 Middle income school, mostly Arabic and
Polish
 Art in Gym/Lunchroom
 Material Storage shared with music, P.E.,
speech, and librarian
 Kindergarten & 1st Grade
 One day a week

13. Negatives to traveling, sharing, classroom, & cart
 No sense of own space
 No sense of belonging
 Tripping over cart
 Items falling from the cart
 The heavier the cart, the harder to push
 Materials too difficult to disperse
 No storage for materials
 Invading a homeroom
 Struggles with communication of coworkers
 Car trunk turns into a storage room
 Poor communication between principals
 Challenge with parent communication
 Discipline actions not upheld
 I ALWAYS forget at least one item at my other school I
need for that day!!!!

14. Positives of Traveling, Classroom,
and Cart
 A chance to know the faculty
at multiple schools
 A break from one school to
the next
 A hands-on chance to work
out kinks in lesson plans
 The district board members
recognize your work and
decorations more than most.
 You brighten the students’
day when you enter the
classroom
 With good communication,

15. After gathering my pros
and cons…
I decided to start a blog.

16. Here are some tips I focused on in the
blog!
 Over time, you may develop your own
methods.

17. Choose Your Cart Wisely…
 Make your cart easy
for you and your
students to navigate,
organize, and store
items.
 Make a display space.
Your fellow teacher’s
boards may not be
enough.
 Leave a bin available
for resources. Books,
Puzzles, Games, etc.
 Make sure it fits it the

18. Find Your Storage…
 Do you have an assigned space
or closet to store your items?
Organize it!
 Communicate with your
colleagues on space to store
materials when you’re not there.
 Do you share with another art
teacher? Communicate on how
to use the materials.
 Label and lock your materials.

19. Lesson Planning and
Curriculum
 When traveling, plan the grade
level lessons at the same time.
 Bring your lesson plan book
with you to note any changes!
 To save on carrying extra
materials, create examples for
each school so you can leave it
there!
 Teaching over time? Try to
order your materials to collect
what you need at each school.
Over time, you carry less and
less to each school.
 Communicate with teachers
about their curriculum. Maybe
you can squeeze in a fun
lesson to integrate!

20. Rules and Procedures
 Set your own rules: passing-
out, clean-up, noise level,
etc…
 Discuss with the homeroom
teacher what their rules and
procedures are, and
communicate what yours will
be.
 Leaving time before and after
for passing out/cleaning up
materials.
 Get the students involved.
They will feel more ownership

21. Discipline…a Continuing
Challenge
 Communicate and ask what the
homeroom classroom
procedures are. Use their
disciplinary actions, like color
card flips or time off T.S.P.E.
 Follow up on disciplinary
actions. The teacher shouldn’t
have to do the job for you, but
communicate with the
appropriate colleagues to make
sure the action is completed.
 You may not have time, but you
must attempt to communicate

22. Creating Material and Work
Space
 Communicate with the teacher
on where you can keep
materials out during your class
time.
 Make sure you can fit the cart in
the room. This can get
annoying.
 Student desks are best when
cleaned off when you enter the
room.
 Use the empty desks.
 Keep your own magnets on you
for board demonstrations or
displays.

23. Include Technology
(Even in a Tricky Situation)
 It’s a standard we need
in our lessons, so try
and find ways to
incorporate a Power
Point or website for
activities.
 Search for your
resources.
 Again, communicate
with your principal and
colleagues to find ways

24. Painting?
 Check ahead of time to
see if you have a sink. If
not, find out where you
can wash brushes.
 Use disposable plates for
paint. It saves time on
clean up.
 Choose your “art helpers”
to wash brushes during
clean-up.
 Communicate with the
custodian about paper
towels.

25. 3-Dimensional Materials
 Check ahead of time
to see if you can store
materials in the
classrooms when you
are away.
 Sandwich baggies will
be your friend.
 Save additional time
for clean-up.
 Limit your introduction
time.

26. Utilize the Hallway Space
 Need construction
paper? Display
boxes out in the
hallway.
 Large painting
projects? Roll out
long paper…in the
hallway.
 Perfect spot for the
drying rack.

27. Tips to keep your sanity…
while promoting the arts!
 Communicate!
 Don’t be shy.
 Collegiality takes time, so
be a team player.
 The administrator is not
your enemy.
 Don’t assume everyone
knows your schedule and
responsibilities.

28. Tips to keep your sanity…
while you save prep time!
 When preparing materials, try
preparing enough for all your
schools.
 Build your example collection
each year, and leave it at your
school.
 Plan your supply budgets to
prevent extra materials to
carry.

29. Tips to keep your sanity…
and not forget something!
 Leave a checklist to go
over at end of day.
 You will always forget at
least one item at your last
school.
 Head back if you need to,
which means show up to
work early.

30. More Tips to Stay Sane
 Don’t overbook heavy
lessons in a chunk of time.
 Attempt to plan your paper/
cutting/ gluing/ painting/
sculpture lessons
accordingly.
 This means don’t plan a
clay lesson back to back to
a painting lesson next
period. You’ll burn out.

31. More Tips to Stay Sane
 Learn how to say
“no.”
 You are not the only
creative person in
the school, so the
little drawings and
displays not in your
job description can
be left for others.

32. More Tips to Stay Sane
 Find your
“Art
Helpers”
 Parents can
also help!

33. Finally…
 Be happy your
students have
art, and that you
have a job.
 You are an
advocate for the
arts in your
students’
education.

34. Would you like to be a part of
Research?
 Currently, there is no research explaining the reasons for
the existence of the art on a cart practice, nor has there
been a study that has explored its effects on learning. The
study seeks out the stories of art educators utilizing this
practice to explore the challenges of teaching from a cart,
as well as successful strategies and best practices.

35. http://www.artonacartresearch.org/
For more information, please contact
Heidi K. Lung: artonacart@att.net

36. Questions!
 If you would like more
information on lesson
plans, have questions or
concerns, or would like to
add comments, please feel
free to email me @
hohanley@isd109.org
 Please visit my blog: Tales
From the Travelling Art
Teacher!
www.talesfromthetravelling
artteacher.blogspot.com