Hello PAEA folks and the greater community.

Christina, Sue, and I have divided up the months for blogging. June is mine, and I have been going back and forth on what I wanted to post about. School art shows?? Demonstration teaching lessons when applying for jobs?? I just could not gather enough info in time to talk about either.

So… I am sitting here at my desk, with my work computer (before I have to turn it in for the summer), and I have finished packing my room up…. I have put this blog off long enough. Time to commit.

I guess what’s really on my mind is what other art teachers have to do at the end of the school year to pack up their rooms.

To be frank, I am not even sure what I am supposed to do, but I know it’s best to shove as much as I can in my closet and cover up my shelves that I leave stuff on. Every year I am told something different for what to do with my room, so I guess I have decided to go with the “ask for forgiveness later” approach.

Here is what I do: Pack up all my iPads. They go in my closet first, as I want to make them the hardest to get to. Then, anything on wheels I start loading up, and roll in to the closet to fit like a game of art room tetris. I clear the window sills and make sure there are no “loose” art supplies on the shelves, floors, or any surface. From what I understand, the main thing that happens in my room over the summer is they mop and wax. I have been told I can keep my posters up. So I do. I know other rooms take them down, because apparently their walls get cleaned. I have ceramic tile walls, and I don’t think they much intend on cleaning those.

The entrance to my closet. Couldn’t even get to the back if I tried.

A side closet inside my closet. Just stuff on stuff.

The back of my closet. Again, stuff on stuff. All haphazardly stacked.

I stack my large tables on top of each other, so their is less to move around. Other teachers have to put their desks/tables/chairs in the hallway outside their classrooms. I did not have to do it last year, so I am not doing it this year. And plus, the other teachers get help from other janitors to do that. I don’t, so I won’t. (Not that I am not capable. I am totally like super strong. It’s weird how strong I can be, yet how frail I might look. lol) All my small desks/tables and stools are stacked and shoved into my giant closet.

Tables stacked.

I do not empty my desk. I am not worried about that. And no one told me I need to.

I cover up the smart board to protect it from …dust? I guess I should probably put a trashbag over the projector then… but I don’t have one. And asking for one will open a whole world of “what will you do for me” and I don’t want to become indebted for a trash bag. If I had the foresight yesterday, I would have packed one from home for today.

Smartboard covered, and shelves covered. (There are books still on the shelf.)

Obviously, all art is taken down from all over the school. Most of it I return, but some work from the last quarter I keep to display at the beginning of the school year so the halls are bright when the kids return. Some work I also hang on to for art shows or competitions at the beginning of the year that I might want to enter them in.

As the art teachers in our school, we have wayyyyy more stuff to move around, organize, and pack up than most teachers. And then to unpack and reorganize it all in the fall… in between all the meetings we are required to attend.. ugh! This is why I use the “ask forgiveness later” approach. There is a lot expected of us, and the rebel in me just wants to do what will make life easier in the fall upon return.

Soooo, I guess that’s it. What do you have to do? Is there concrete information given to you from your administration? Do you have to take stuff home?? (I sure hope not!)

Anyway, I hope y’all beautiful art teachers out there have a fantastic summer. This has personally been a tough year in my school and classroom, but I only see great things for the future. So when I unpack my closet cart by cart, and box by box at the beginning of the school year, I will think back to how my my school has achieved, and how much my art room has grown and will continue to grow.

Stay tuned for the July blog post from Sue Liedke which will be all about the PAEA trip to Cuba!! I can’t wait to hear all about it!!