About the Author

Jessica Balsley

Hello. I’m Jessica Balsley, Founder of The Art of Education University. My husband Derek and I founded The Art of Education in 2011 to help art teachers around the world access higher quality professional development.

Before founding AOE, I was a K-5 Art Teacher, K-12 Professional Development Coordinator, and Graduate Instructor. I am passionate about helping art teachers perform at a high level, both professionally and personally.

The opposite of boredom is passion. When you are passionate about what you do, you are unstoppable. The Art of Education University exists to help teachers at every stage of their career reignite their passion for and confidence towards teaching. It’s my mission to lead this organization to produce high-quality professional development that is relevant and accessible. 

Posts by Jessica

Content Type
  • All
  • Article
  • Podcast
  • Video
Topic
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  • Assessment
  • Classroom Management
  • Curriculum
  • Instructional Strategies
  • News
  • Professionalism
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  • All
  • Assessment Design
  • Assessment Implementation
  • Expectations
  • Physical Space
  • Relationship Building
  • Curriculum Approaches
  • Curriculum Design
  • Differentiation
  • Engagement
  • Advocacy
  • Professional Learning
  • Professional Practice
  • Connections
  • Creativity
  • Media & Techniques
Video

The Beauty Around You

As art teachers, we lead hectic lives. Between memorizing hundreds of kiddos’ names, prepping projects, cleaning up messes, managing the...
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Video

8 Unconventional Art Room Organizers

Welcome to my art room! Here are eight quick, easy, and affordable (sometimes FREE) tools you can use to help...
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Article

Everyone’s Art Time Should Be Cut

That’s right, I said it, your art class time should be cut! Before you click away, hear me out! This...
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Article

When to Show a Video

Do you show a lot of videos in your art room? Videos should not replace the teacher, in fact, more and more, showing...
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Article

A Faster Way to Display

Are you looking for a quick and easy way to display student art? What if I told you there was...
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Article

7 Ways to Use Paint Chips in the Art Room

Paint chips are a great manipulative for the art room. They are free, easy to find, and pretty! I wanted...
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Article

It’s a Piece of Tempera Cake!

Do you think choosing the correct paint to is easy? I don’t! I wish choosing paint was a piece of...
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Article

Losing Students’ Attention? Try Storytelling!

Have you ever noticed when you are reading a captivating story to students, you have all eyes and ears on...
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Article

A Classroom Management Strategy Elementary Art Teachers Can’t Live Without

Today I am thrilled to welcome Michael Linsin with a guest post today.  Michael is the author of the book Dream Class: How...
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Article

How Do You Glue?

We all have different methods for managing sticky situations in the art room. Today I’m sharing my tips for dealing...
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Video

Getting a “Yes”

Do you have an idea that you think is amazing and want to see it implemented in your school?  I...
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Article

You Can Do Observational Drawing in Kindergarten!

I rarely try new lessons with kindergarten. It freaks me out. I like to stick with what I know and...
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