I began teaching art 25 years ago in the Janesville, Wisconsin school district. In the great debate of teaching, I can equivocally say I started teaching in the hardest teaching job there is. Some think special education is hard, some argue it takes someone equally special to teach middle school or kindergarten. But I know the hardest job in teaching is being a traveling art teacher. I cut my baby teeth in Janesville traveling between three schools a day, sharing an art room with well established art teachers, and teaching more than 8 kindergarten art classes a week in the kindergarten rooms on the west side of town. In my first week of teaching, I was called Ms. Pretzel, Ms. Meatball, and I had to call four kindergarten parents because of a hair cutting incident. Danny Fleming told me that my hands looked like his Dad's, who was a mechanic-both of our hands were always dirty. Aubrey told everyone that her Mom and Dad liked to take showers together-this was during our discussion on the primary colors. Teaching is hard and it is only getting harder. There were quite a few that helped me figure it out-a kindergarten teacher named Pat Venable, Art Educators named Wilmont, Jelinek, Demos, and Beckenbaugh. Now, I am headed back to do some professional development with the art educators in the district. I feel quite honored and humbled to circle back around. What a great opportunity to go back and share in the place it started for me. Thank you.
