The Secret Life of Art Teachers: The Work Lives of Six Elementary Visual Art Teachers

• In Event: Roundtable Session 84
  In Roundtable Session: Current Research on Teachers’ Work

Abstract

There is little written or discussed about the working conditions of visual art teachers at the elementary school level. Working conditions have not been considered a worthwhile issue even though workplace conditions are a factor in teacher attrition. By illuminating the work life of the elementary visual art teacher, this study seeks to focus on the people who make art education happen. This qualitative study addresses this question: What are the working conditions, job satisfaction and morale of elementary visual arts teachers? Fifteen interviews were conducted with urban and suburban art teachers, and six were selected to present a holistic view of their work lives through narrative constructed from the interview data.

Author

• Ava Herring-Wokoma, University of Minnesota