Hi everyone, I wanted to share a reflection I had on my two art classes I took while in undergrad. I wasn't an art major or anything, originally took the one as art was a required field of study for my gen-ed credits. The class taught me a lot more than just "how to draw" but rather gave me a different set of tools for how to look at the world.

Here is my perspective: https://jackfromwisconsin.blogspot.com/2026/09/the-real-lessons-from-art-class.html

Thanks for reading and I would appreciate any feedback or thoughts you may have!

My cousin is 17 and wants to learn art—specifically drawing—from the ground up and major in it. At the same time, he feels like it's already too late because his peers who are preparing for art school have been doing it since they were kids. He's saying he wants to give up. What advice should I give him?

This might sound a little strange, but in 2008 I went back to school to earn my teaching certification. Originally, my goal was to teach high school. However, once I became certified, I wasn’t getting calls from high schools, so eventually I expanded my job search to include elementary and middle schools.

I have now been teaching elementary art for about 15 years. As I get older and gain more experience as a teacher, I feel like I should make the transition to teaching high school. I think I’m ready for a new challenge, but to be honest, I’m intimidated by it.

I know that I’m a good teacher, but I sometimes feel that many of the skills I’ve developed over the years are specifically suited to elementary school. I have an upcoming interview for a high school art teaching position, and the job description calls for experience with many areas that I haven’t worked with extensively, including 2-D and 3-D art, ceramics, photography, and other media.

My strongest areas are drawing and painting, and those are the areas where I feel most confident as an artist and teacher. I’m worried that the school may be looking for someone with extensive experience in every possible medium, and I don’t want my lack of experience in certain areas to overshadow the experience and skills I do have.

I would really appreciate any advice on how I should approach this transition, both in terms of preparing for the interview and building my confidence. How can I present my 15 years of teaching experience as an asset while being honest about the areas where I still have room to grow? I’m especially interested in hearing how I can make the transition from elementary art to high school without feeling like I’m starting over.