The August Mailbag: New Teacher Advice, Beginning Lessons, and Art Teacher Gifts
Release Date: 08/05/2025
Advocacy for Art Teachers: Planning, Prepping, and Promotion
Art Ed Radio
In this episode, Tim sits down with Jessica Stuver, a K–8 art teacher, to discuss planning ahead for Youth Art Month and why early advocacy is crucial for art education. Jessica shares practical strategies for celebrating student creativity, promoting the value of art programs, and making Youth Art Month meaningful for schools and communities. The conversation also explores the power of connection among art teachers, from conferences and professional learning communities (like the Art of Ed Community!) to everyday idea-sharing that helps educators stay inspired. As winter sets in,...
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The Power of Mentoring with Janet Taylor
Art Ed Radio
In today's episode, Tim Bogatz sits down with art educator and mentor Janet Taylor for a thoughtful and candid conversation about the role of mentoring as art teachers. Together, they explore how mentoring relationships begin, what makes them meaningful, and why both new and experienced art teachers benefit from having a supportive professional network. They also discuss the qualities that make an effective mentor, and emphasize the importance of communication and support in the mentor-mentee relationship. Be sure to explore the resources available to support both new teachers and mentors in...
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The December Mailbag: Student Slang, Struggles with Subs, and Keeping Up with it All
Art Ed Radio
It's time for the December mailbag! This month is a lot when you're an art teacher, and Tim and Amanda have some advice for when you're exhausted, overextended, and still trying to make meaningful learning happen. Listener questions cover everything from student slang (what does “delulu,” “6–7,” and “tough” even mean?) to always feeling behind on grading and displays, juggling multiple roles in the building, recovering from a nightmare sub, and working with a paraprofessional who spends class on their phone. Listen for some ideas and mindset shifts that you can use right now....
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From the Archives: Giving Back to Art Ed
Art Ed Radio
In this episode from the archives, Kyle Wood returns to discuss with Tim how we can give back to the field of art education and pay it forward. The conversation highlights the importance of building a community of art teachers, being willing to share ideas and lessons, and embracing mentorship roles. They also highlight the value of advocating for art education and discuss ways in which art teachers can express gratitude to the art education 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...
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Our Community's Best Advice for New Teachers
Art Ed Radio
In this episode of Art Ed Radio, Tim Bogatz is joined by Jen Leban from the AOE Community to share powerful, practical advice for new and early-career art teachers. With some live recordings from the Illinois Art Educators Association Conference, Tim gathers insights from a wide range of teachers who talk honestly about classroom management, burnout, routines, creativity, and what they wish they had known in their first years. Whether you’re a brand-new teacher or supporting someone who is, this episode is packed with encouragement, real talk, and strategies you can use right away. Resources...
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Bringing Art to Life: Zoe Goldman from the Getty Museum and If Objects Could Talk
Art Ed Radio
How do you make ancient art exciting for kids? In this episode of Art Ed Radio, Zoe Goldman, podcast producer at the Getty Museum, joins Tim to share the behind-the-scenes story of If Objects Could Talk—a delightful, sound-rich podcast where ancient artifacts speak for themselves. Zoe explains how her team transforms visual art into immersive audio stories, working with curators, writers, and sound designers to help young listeners connect with history in meaningful ways. From creative collaboration to museum accessibility, she offers practical ideas for art teachers on how to bring art...
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The November Mailbag: Live From Chicago
Art Ed Radio
Recorded live at the Illinois Art Education Association Conference, Tim Bogatz and Amanda Heyn dive into the November Mailbag to answer the audience's best questions! They tackle how to avoid the internet rabbit hole when planning lessons, ways to design meaningful projects with very limited class time, and how to help middle schoolers generate their own ideas through scaffolding, choice within boundaries, and celebration of creative risk-taking. Along the way, they connect these topics back to the power of community—online and in person—and even weigh in on the great Halloween candy...
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An Art History Mystery, Part Two
Art Ed Radio
In part two of this special fiction-meets-art-history podcast, you’ll step into the MoMA after hours, where a professional development retreat turns into something much more sinister. What begins as an inspiring evening quickly spirals into chaos when Dalí’s The Persistence of Memory disappears. The Dalí is gone. The suspects are gathered. And the detectives are running out of time. In the shocking conclusion to An Art History Mystery, our five art teachers—Delilah, Solomon, Madison, Amber, and Robert—return to the Museum of Modern Art for questioning. As the night deepens, stories...
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An Art History Mystery, Part One
Art Ed Radio
A locked museum. Five eccentric art teachers. One missing Salvador Dalí masterpiece. In this special fiction-meets-art-history podcast, you’ll step into the MoMA after hours, where a professional development retreat turns into something much more sinister. What begins as an inspiring evening quickly spirals into chaos when Dalí’s The Persistence of Memory disappears. Each teacher has their quirks, secrets, and possible motives: Delilah Rose – the bubbly Ms. Frizzle of the art room, all glitter glue and good intentions… but is she too innocent? Solomon Ochre – the arrogant...
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From the Archives: Using Assessment to Nurture Creativity
Art Ed Radio
In this episode from the archives of Art Ed Radio, Tim Bogatz is joined by author and assessment expert Katie White to explore how thoughtful assessment practices can nurture a culture of creativity in the art room. Katie shares insights from her decades in education and explains how assessment, when reimagined, can become a powerful tool for decision-making, reflection, and growth. Together, they discuss how to create safe spaces for risk-taking, why delaying criteria setting can spark deeper exploration, and how observation and conversation are just as valid as portfolios or rubrics. Whether...
info_outlineFresh off hosting the Art Ed NOW Conference, Tim and Amanda are here with the August mailbag! After a garden talk update, they answer listener questions about starting the school year strong, surviving the chaos of short class periods, finding the perfect gift for an art teacher, and learning hundreds of student names without losing your mind.
Resources and Links
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- Podcast advice on Getting Hired as an Art Educator
- Read the Dear First Year Art Teacher article
- See the Art of Ed's FLEX Curriculum
- Check out the Art of Ed Community for August events
- AOE's Back to School resources
- Learn more about the Art Ed NOW Conference
- Shout out to Pesky Pete
- Learn about Tim's favorite plant, Anise Hyssop