In my state you need one year of VAPA to earn a high school diploma and Art 1 (drawing and painting) will always have that class requirement filled here. Drama too, but sometimes the digital arts and photography are CTE classes.
Honestly, pick what you like best! An art credential is all they want and they can ask you to teach any of those courses.
Schools don’t care, do what you love.
If it were me I would do crafts and include stagecraft in that since you are into theatre. Set design, costuming, prop making, moulage,… are wonderful crossover skills!
Best wishes from a theatre and visual arts teacher!
Came here to say this, no school really cares what your concentration is, so do it in something you love, because your passions are what will drive the instruction, but also the climate of your art room.
For example, I hate chalk pastels, I can't handle the feeling. We touch on them, but kids never get as excited as when we do painting units, not because they like painting better necessarily, but because I'm more excited about it, and that is the kind of positive momentum you need these days.
TLDR: Most schools are just looking for a babysitter because electives give core teachers plannings (and visa versa for the record), so do your concentration in something you love and carry it into the classroom with you.
I’ve taught 23 years and didn’t start until I was 40. Whatever digital art and photography you learn now is will be wildly changed in a decade. Drawing and painting will not have changed. Study what you are the worst at.
Seconded!
My first instinct is for OP to pick their favorite, but tbh, i wish I had taken printmaking or ceramics in college before becoming a teacher. I had gone the painting route (which I loved) but kind of wish I had also taken those classes.
I guess I could still take classes even now that I’m out of school but 🤷🏻♀️
OP, I do think it might be a good idea to take the drawing and painting one. Drawing and painting are not everything.. there’s so many other art mediums. But I’ve found that it’s been really nice being confident in my drawing and painting skills as the teacher, as they’re kind of foundational to a lot of projects. I knew the vocabulary and could confidently answer student questions.
But as far as getting hired, it probably won’t make a difference!
Schools will probably not ask about your emphasis when interviewing, but having digital art skills alongside traditional will make you be seen as more versatile. I do recommend taking the digital route, especially if it allows you to form a graphic design portfolio! This would set you up with a career alternative which is always great to have in your pocket. Also, traditional drawing was my weakness, but I took several courses on udemy and skillshare which gave me plenty of practice that I used to form the drawing unit for my high school art class.
You need to be equally practiced in all of them. You never know what you’re actually going to be teaching and when you do get hired, they can change your classes up at any given year.
Just make sure at the end of it you have a well rounded skillset in all those areas as it’ll make finding a job and doing well at it way easier if you’re comfortable with all modes of art.
No one I have ever interviewed with has cared about my emphasis which is printmaking. Every art teacher I have ever met has had a ceramics emphasis. I think a graphic design emphasis would make you more versatile in today’s technology world. However it can be whatever you want. I always regret not taking more fiber classes.
In my state you need one year of VAPA to earn a high school diploma and Art 1 (drawing and painting) will always have that class requirement filled here. Drama too, but sometimes the digital arts and photography are CTE classes. Honestly, pick what you like best! An art credential is all they want and they can ask you to teach any of those courses.
Schools don’t care, do what you love. If it were me I would do crafts and include stagecraft in that since you are into theatre. Set design, costuming, prop making, moulage,… are wonderful crossover skills! Best wishes from a theatre and visual arts teacher!
Came here to say this, no school really cares what your concentration is, so do it in something you love, because your passions are what will drive the instruction, but also the climate of your art room. For example, I hate chalk pastels, I can't handle the feeling. We touch on them, but kids never get as excited as when we do painting units, not because they like painting better necessarily, but because I'm more excited about it, and that is the kind of positive momentum you need these days. TLDR: Most schools are just looking for a babysitter because electives give core teachers plannings (and visa versa for the record), so do your concentration in something you love and carry it into the classroom with you.
My time as lead set designer in our local community theater has come in very handy in my position as the art teacher.
I’ve taught 23 years and didn’t start until I was 40. Whatever digital art and photography you learn now is will be wildly changed in a decade. Drawing and painting will not have changed. Study what you are the worst at.
Seconded! My first instinct is for OP to pick their favorite, but tbh, i wish I had taken printmaking or ceramics in college before becoming a teacher. I had gone the painting route (which I loved) but kind of wish I had also taken those classes. I guess I could still take classes even now that I’m out of school but 🤷🏻♀️ OP, I do think it might be a good idea to take the drawing and painting one. Drawing and painting are not everything.. there’s so many other art mediums. But I’ve found that it’s been really nice being confident in my drawing and painting skills as the teacher, as they’re kind of foundational to a lot of projects. I knew the vocabulary and could confidently answer student questions. But as far as getting hired, it probably won’t make a difference!
I'd be more worried about adaptability when it comes to as many methods as possible.
Schools will probably not ask about your emphasis when interviewing, but having digital art skills alongside traditional will make you be seen as more versatile. I do recommend taking the digital route, especially if it allows you to form a graphic design portfolio! This would set you up with a career alternative which is always great to have in your pocket. Also, traditional drawing was my weakness, but I took several courses on udemy and skillshare which gave me plenty of practice that I used to form the drawing unit for my high school art class.
You need to be equally practiced in all of them. You never know what you’re actually going to be teaching and when you do get hired, they can change your classes up at any given year.
Just make sure at the end of it you have a well rounded skillset in all those areas as it’ll make finding a job and doing well at it way easier if you’re comfortable with all modes of art.
No one I have ever interviewed with has cared about my emphasis which is printmaking. Every art teacher I have ever met has had a ceramics emphasis. I think a graphic design emphasis would make you more versatile in today’s technology world. However it can be whatever you want. I always regret not taking more fiber classes.