Classroom Management

How Art Teachers Handle Insults, Phones, Inappropriate Drawings, & More in the Classroom

Lindsey McGinnis | July 31, 2025

Welcome to The Art of Ed’s Draw the Line, a mini-series where Kyle Wood and Liz Brent share real classroom stories and proven behavior management tips just for art teachers. In this first episode, we’re tackling one of the biggest keys to classroom culture—respect. From handling inappropriate drawings to navigating cell phone use, you’ll learn practical strategies to help you build a positive and respectful art studio for all learners.

Subscribe and get ready to sharpen your behavior management skills and draw the line in your art room!

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Stay tuned for the following:

What to do when a student insults you
How to respond to inappropriate drawings
Manage peer conflict and mean jokes
Address destructive behavior
Handle cell phone misuse
Build a culture of kindness from day one

For the resources in this video, check out the following:

To chat about respect in the art room with other art teachers, join us in The Art of Ed Community!

Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lindsey McGinnis

Lindsey McGinnis is AOE’s Media Content Manager and a former high school art educator. She is passionate about equipping art teachers to be successful in their classrooms and firmly believes that art is the best place for students to explore and process the challenging topics and concepts around them.

How Art Teachers Handle Insults, Phones, Inappropriate Drawings, & More in the Classroom

Lindsey McGinnis

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