The August Mailbag: Gen Z Teachers, Cardboard Questions, and Back-to-School Hacks (Ep. 529)

Tim: Alright, welcome everyone to the show. Welcome to the August mailbag. With me, as always, for every mailbag is Amanda Heyn. Amanda, how are you?

Amanda: I’m doing great, Tim. How are you?

Tim: I am doing great, too. I’m thrilled to talk to you. There’s a lot of excitement around the start of the school year — a lot of excitement about getting back to things. A couple months ago, not everybody was feeling that way, but I think after some time off, a little bit of a refresh, people are actually looking forward to getting back to school. Are you feeling the same way? What’s the feeling in your house?

Amanda: The feeling in my house is good. We just had our summer vacation, and now we have a few weeks left. My kids go back at the very end of August. I know some teachers are headed back right now — it’s just a wide spectrum. But we’re excited to have a couple of weeks left, and we’re ramping back up. We’ve got the backpacks out and we’re digging into the school supply list. What about you?

Tim: Same here. It’s a little different because my daughter is going to college and moving away, and they don’t start until September. My wife is back to school for training, my son goes back next week, and my daughter is basically living her best life trying to make the most of her last summer before she moves away. She’s doing a very good job of it, and I’m very proud of her.

There is a sense of excitement, and we’re looking forward to all of the cool things that come with getting back to school. Before we get into it, we should introduce ourselves since we’re heading into a new school year with potentially new listeners joining the podcast. My name is Tim Bogatz. I host this podcast every week. Once a month I do the mailbag with Amanda. I also produce the Art Ed Now conference, and I’ve been working for The Art of Education for a little over ten years. Before that, I was a high school art teacher for a long time and an elementary art teacher for a short time. Amanda, can you introduce yourself for all of our new listeners?

Amanda: Sure! I’m Amanda Hein. I am the Director of Community Engagement, so media, the Now conference, and the Art of Ed Community are all things I’m in charge of — which is very fun. Before my time here, I was an elementary art teacher.

Tim: And we will talk about the community over and over because we love it so much — it feels like we mention it five or six times in every mailbag episode. But it is a great place, and we are right on the precipice of having 10,000 members, which is a very exciting milestone. I should also note that we are recording this before Amanda and I head to Chicago with our community manager Jen Lieben for the Summer Art Ed Now conference. When you hear this, the conference will have already happened, so let’s just assume it all went very well and everyone had a wonderful experience.

Now, Amanda, let’s talk about all the cool things coming up in August in the community. Can you let us know what will be happening?

Amanda: I sure can! If you haven’t joined the community yet, it’s community.theartofeducation.edu — pause the podcast and go do that. It’s also linked in the show notes.

We have a couple of fun events coming up. First, we have Art Club with Jen and Janet — that’s Jen Lieben and Janet Taylor, who you’re probably familiar with if you listen to the podcast. They’re hosting that Thursday, August 6th at 6 PM Central Time, and we’re going to do a fun back-to-school activity. There’s also a Canary Cutter giveaway — we’re giving away two mini class packs of Canary Cutters, so if you do cardboard in your classroom, don’t miss that.

We’re also celebrating the return of Lunch Bunch — that’s Friday, August 14th, and then another one Friday, August 21st at 12 PM Central Time. We record those and post them afterward, so if you need something to listen to on your lunch break, check those out. And then we have Pop-Up Studio on Wednesday, August 26th at 6 PM Central Time. That’s just come-as-you-are, bring whatever you’re making, and hang out. It’s a great way to stay accountable to your own art practice. We all hop on Zoom and it’s open chat — always very chill and very fun.

Tim: Yes, any or all of them! And I’ll add: we have the early bird discount going on for the next Art Ed Now conference. If you came and had a great time and want to go again, for about a month you can take advantage of a big discount. Check that out at theartofeducation.edu/now, or we’ll link it in the show notes.

Alright Amanda, any good stories or exciting things happening in your life before we open up the mailbag?

Amanda: Yes! I want to tell you about my vacation because if you ever go to San Francisco, you need to go to this magical place called the Exploratorium. It is a science museum with over 500 exhibits, and you are supposed to touch and interact with all of them. It is so cool. It also has all kinds of real-time data — you can see all the boats in San Francisco Harbor and roll a dial back to see the shipping lanes. Fascinating. But the reason I want our art teachers specifically to go is because they have a whole exhibit on light and color. You can play with prisms and lasers, and there’s a room where the lighting makes everything look monochromatic. There’s a Skittles candy machine — you put in a quarter, get a handful of Skittles, bring white light over them, and you can see all the rainbow colors. Then you take the light away and they look like they’re in grayscale. I could have spent three days in the prism and light section. It was wild and wonderful.

We also saw the redwoods, some tide pools, and the ocean. But we also went to an event called Open Sauce, which was just the biggest nerdfest I’ve ever been a part of — hundreds and hundreds of exhibits of people bringing their own creations. I thought of you, Tim, because I know you love the mantis shrimp. As you know, the mantis shrimp has a punch that moves faster than the speed of sound and can see an extraordinary number of colors. These people made what they called “mantis goggles” that show all the infrared and spectral light that a mantis shrimp is seeing. They weren’t letting people try them on, which was disappointing, but the demonstration was really cool. The whole event was full of robots, interesting panels with YouTube makers, and just people creating for the sake of creating. Somebody made a keyboard with the 1,000 most common English words. Does it need to exist? No. But every table was like that — inspiring and weird in the best way. It was a very, very inspiring trip.

Tim: That does sound incredible. The mantis shrimp goggles alone would have made it worth the trip.

I don’t have any exciting trips to report, but I do have one quick story. My dog, Audrey, came downstairs to visit me in my studio before we recorded, and it got me thinking about the different ways my wife and I talk to her. My wife is always very polite and kind — if Audrey is in the way, she’ll say, “Audrey, excuse me.” And Audrey has learned this and steps out of the way. Whereas I’ve always read that dogs respond better to short commands, so when she’s in my way, I’ll just say, “Audrey, move.” When it’s time for her to go, I say, “Go away,” and she goes. My wife thinks I’m very mean to her, and I’m just like… “Clear is kind.” Amanda, do I need to be nicer to my dog?

Amanda: No, I think you’re being very clear. You didn’t say it like you were upset — you were just like, “Go away. I’m working now.” Also, it will never not be funny to me that your dog has a human name. I just really like it.

Tim: Dog names are on a spectrum — you either go full dog name or just a basic human name. Alright, on that note, Amanda, we have a lot of great questions for the start of the school year. Are you ready?

Amanda: Let’s go ahead and open up the mailbag!

Tim: Our first question comes from Tamara in Illinois. Tamara says: “I recently read this article online and would love to hear you and Amanda talk about it. What are your thoughts? How have things changed since you first started teaching?” She attached an article about Gen Z teachers refusing unpaid labor — it’s actually more of a recap of a Reddit thread, but it’s definitely worth talking about.

The concept, if I can summarize quickly: Gen Z teachers are choosing not to do extra work beyond their contract hours. They’re not staying after school or working evenings without pay — which we support. But there’s also a worry about what happens if teachers continue to draw those lines, and whether schools will struggle to function. Amanda, what were your first thoughts when you read this?

Amanda: I think this is such an excellent discussion. Schools have long relied on unpaid labor from teachers to do things like run clubs, put together the yearbook, or put up an art show. And this newer generation of teachers is saying: I’m not going to do that unless you pay me. That’s outside the school day. I’m happy to give it my all during contract hours, but after that, you’re going to have to do something else.

And I love this idea in general — maximizing your time while you’re at school, using your time wisely, backwards planning, having students help maintain the art room so you’re not bringing everything home. This is how I operated during my time in the classroom, and it’s definitely doable. It does mean saying no to some things or simplifying some things, which is a hard lesson a lot of teachers come to later in their career.

Of course there are occasional exceptions — art show season comes to mind, and I distinctly remember knowing that if I was going to do a weaving unit, I’d be tying off those weavings while watching TV. But for the most part, I stayed within my contract hours. And I love that there’s a large group of people standing up and saying, “Wait — you expect me to be here until five, or work on weekends?” There’s power in numbers, and if people stop doing work for free, the system is going to have to change. Because this is a systems issue. It’s not that these teachers are right or wrong or lazy — the fact is, teachers are taken advantage of. And someone on that Reddit thread made a really good point: teachers don’t get performance-based bonuses. There’s no financial incentive for going above and beyond, no promotion or raise tied to staying late. In other salaried jobs, people come in early and stay late because there are other perks or opportunities down the road. Those don’t exist for teachers.

Tim: One hundred percent. The extent to which this is expected of teachers, combined with less-than-ideal pay, just keeps compounding in a way that feels incredibly disrespectful. I think all of the teachers saying “no thank you” to that are doing the right thing. I absolutely support everyone who is setting and enforcing those boundaries.

I will say — I felt lucky as a teacher that I was never pressured to stay in or work for free. But I absolutely know that happens to so many people, and so many administrators have those expectations. It’s good for people to stand up and say no.

My personal experience was that I worked those extra hours because I loved doing it — not because I felt pressured. I used to have once-a-month studio nights where students could come in and work in the evening, and I’d work on my own artwork alongside them with music playing. It was a really cool environment I genuinely enjoyed. But as you get further into your teaching career, the less you may want to do those things, and that’s okay too. Each teacher needs to find the spot that works for them.

And one thing that probably deserves more space in this conversation: teaching is a lot harder now than it ever used to be. All of the extra things that have been added — behaviors, parental pressure — it’s a lot. Setting those boundaries is more important than it’s ever been. I think we can all continue to work toward the kind of career each person wants.

Amanda: Yeah, for sure.

Tim: Our next question is from Anderson in Massachusetts. Anderson says: “I’m going into my first year and I went to set up my classroom. The teacher before me used the last of her budget to order me supplies, and I’m super thankful for that. I went in and unboxed some stuff, and that was so exciting. I saved all the cardboard, but now I don’t know what to do with it. Should I keep it all? I’m worried about my room being too crowded — what are the best things I can do with a bunch of leftover boxes?”

Anderson, welcome to the job! Unboxing for me is one of the greatest feelings in the world — one of the absolute joys of teaching. Savor it. As for your cardboard: I would say keep some of the boxes, but not all of them. Keep the best ones. Those boxes that held gallons of paint and came in beat up across the country? Get rid of those. Keep the flat, clean cardboard without too much tape on it. If it’s flat and not bent up, it won’t take up much space, and you will be thankful to have it.

I’d also say: get yourself a Canary Cutter. Amanda and I both love them, they’ve sponsored the Art Ed Now conference, and they are absolutely fantastic for cutting and working with cardboard in so many different ways. And as for what to do with it — we have a ton of resources on the Art of Ed website. There’s a great Art Ed Now conference presentation from Wendy Kubiak about an architecture unit. There’s an article on the site called “An Art Teacher’s Love Letter to Cardboard.” There are YouTube videos, podcasts — just search “cardboard” on the website. Your cardboard is a key ingredient in art teaching. You’ll find so many ideas.

Amanda: Didn’t one of your students make a cardboard couch?

Tim: We did! We had a full-size cardboard couch that was sturdy enough to sit on. It was quite fantastic.

Amanda: That’s really fun. I’m having a moment remembering opening up my own supply order — it’s like opening presents. Sometimes you’re like, “I forgot I ordered these gold markers!” Anyway, I agree with Tim: it is okay to throw things away. Sometimes that’s necessary. And I think you’re being very reflective when you say you want to make sure your room isn’t too crowded.

There’s a trope that all art teachers are hoarders, and like all tropes, there’s a kernel of truth to it. But not being able to throw anything away or let things go can actually be detrimental. When things accumulate without a plan, that’s a bad situation. Use this as an opportunity to set the tone for yourself: What is worth keeping? What do you actually have an idea for? How much storage space do you realistically have?

And as Tim said, you can absolutely use cardboard for sculptures, collage bases, colograph prints, or even as a cheap painting surface. But sometimes it’s okay to let it go in the recycle bin. Anderson didn’t mention what grade level they teach — but for secondary students, cardboard is great for mixed media work, painting a base layer and drawing on top. So many possibilities!

Tim: Our next question is from Will — a quick one but a fun one. “What artist would you not tell your students about if you didn’t have to?”

This stumped me for a while. I love every artist, and even the artists I don’t love, we should probably still teach. But after thinking about it: my answer is Jackson Pollock. I love his role in art history, but every time I show him to kids, they immediately want to do splatter painting. I don’t need that chaos or that mess. If they find their way to splatter painting on their own, great — but I don’t need to encourage it.

That said, the more I thought about it, I don’t actually want to remove anyone, because even the artists we don’t like offer a chance to think critically and discuss what we don’t like and why. That always leads to really good conversations.

Amanda: I thought for sure you were going to say Jeff Koons.

Tim: Absolutely thought about Jeff Koons! But like I said, I have a lot of critiques and criticisms that make for interesting discussion. And even if I don’t love large balloon sculptures, other people do, and that’s worth exploring together.

Amanda: Well, I like large shiny things — so we can discuss that later. For me, a story immediately came to mind. My first year of teaching, I had a prescribed curriculum at a charter school — you had to teach these specific things. And it said I had to show Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man — who is nude — to fifth graders. I quietly did not do that.

Beyond that, I think most art history curriculum is heavily skewed toward male European artists. So rather than cutting people out, I’d be in favor of swapping some of them for artists from other parts of the world. Do we need to teach all four Renaissance artists named after the Ninja Turtles? I think we can let Donatello go. And Modigliani’s long necks are just unnerving. If we took some of that out, we could bring in more global art — which would be really beneficial.

But really, as long as the content is age-appropriate, I don’t think anyone is truly off the table. Even artists whose work we don’t like, or who weren’t good people, offer opportunities for reflection and lively discussion.

Tim: Exactly. I love that you and I both listed artists, and for each one I was thinking, “But I want to talk about Modigliani!” And you said, “I love large shiny things!” That tension itself leads to great discussions. We probably don’t need to eliminate anyone.

Tim: Our next question is from Andrea in Nebraska. Amanda, would you like to read it?

Amanda: I would! We have a question from Andrea in Tim’s home state of Nebraska. She said: “Can I get your thoughts on taking students outside for art during the first week of school? I’m looking for ideas for the first week and I thought about some outdoor art making. Good idea or bad idea?”

Tim: My honest first reaction was: LOL, no. Part of that is just the Nebraska weather — as we record this, it was 106 degrees yesterday. When school starts in mid-August here, it’s 97 degrees and 97% humidity. That is not outside weather.

I appreciate the sentiment, though. Doing something different in the first week — something that says, “Hey, this class is going to be cool” — that’s a great instinct. But going outside is a level of chaos you just don’t need in the first week. You don’t know the kids yet. You haven’t established routines or procedures. Hold off on that, wait until those are in place, and then go outside with a specific outcome or assignment in mind — not a free-for-all. We’ve actually done entire podcast episodes on taking students outside to make art, and I’ll link to some of those and to some great first-week ideas in the show notes.

Amanda: I agree completely. I love the way Andrea is thinking — being outside can offer some really engaging art-making opportunities. But I favor that much more as a late-year activity, when expectations are clear and you know which classes can handle it. I also want to plug a Pro Pack called “First Day Activities” by Lindsay Moss — excellent resource if you have access to it.

I also kept thinking about IEPs, which I usually received three weeks into school. What if you have a student who needs extra supervision outdoors? You just don’t know yet. Not just from an art-making standpoint, but from classroom management and safety, there are too many unknowns and too many variables for outdoor art to work well right away.

Tim: Exactly. Just too many things you don’t know, too many variables. Hold off for a little bit — that opportunity will still be there later on.

Tim: Our final question comes from Beth from the Art of Ed community. It was a great discussion in there, and I thought it was worth talking about on the podcast. Beth asks: “With school looming around the corner, what are some of your favorite storage hacks when it comes to setting up your art room?”

This is actually something we talked about on a September mailbag episode from two years ago, so I’ll link to that for those who want to go deep on organizational hacks. But I also want to share a few things from the community discussion.

For colored pencils or any drawing materials: warm, cool, neutral. You don’t need all the greens together and all the blues together — kids take forever putting those away and they never get it right. But with one drawer for warm colors, one for cool, and one for neutrals, it’s much faster to put away, and kids can actually follow the system. It works really well.

Also: label everything with both words and pictures. Kids can see where things go, they can independently put things away, and it’s really empowering for them to have that visual cue. It’s also a great support for English language learners and early readers.

Amanda: Yes! I want to add to the labels point: the picture labels are especially great for accessibility. They’re excellent for ELL students and early readers. I’m a huge fan of rainbow order — and not just because I like it aesthetically. When all your paints are in rainbow order, with the open bottle in front and any backup bottles behind, you get a really quick visual check on inventory. If you have five different reds spread all over your storage, you don’t know what you have or what you need to order.

My other big tip is to nest things. I had three baskets of oil pastels per table — twelve baskets total — and they all nested inside one another, stored in a single tub. To set up, a student could just grab the tub and disperse the baskets to each table. Same idea with student artwork: every student had a simple 12×18 piece of paper folded in half as their “folder,” and all of those folders nested inside one tub per class. It made it almost impossible to lose artwork — I think I lost maybe one thing over five or six years of teaching. Even empty containers should be nested from biggest to smallest to minimize visual clutter.

Tim: I love that. As you were talking, it reminded me that Jessica Stuver — a friend of the podcast and an Art Ed NOW presenter — was in that community conversation too. She does a version of nesting with folders: each class has a large folder, and inside that, each table has its own folder. Simple, but really effective for cleanup and passing things back.

Lucy Davis also contributed and talked about a classroom entry system. One thing she mentioned was storing sketchbooks away from the door, so that as students come in, they drop off their supplies first and then go back to find their sketchbooks. That avoids the traffic jam of everyone piling up at the door digging through a stack. Those are the kinds of little things that new teachers might not think about — or that veteran teachers who want to reset can benefit from hearing. One last push to everyone: jump into the community and be part of those discussions, because hearing what’s worked for other teachers can be incredibly helpful when you apply it to your own room.

Amanda: Absolutely. Have a great start to the school year, everybody!