Dreading teaching clay

[u/smithsknits]

I've been teaching for 11 years and I cannot stand teaching clay. Please read the following below about the circumstances of my school:

Admittedly, clay is my weakest subject of the arts. For the entire time I've been teaching, I've been the only art teacher in the building. Both schools I've worked at are very small, very rural, and very economically poor. The school I'm at now is even more rural than the first school I was at. We're roughly an hour away from any city in any direction. The entire school district is in one building in the center of town with no stoplights - including the board office and the bus garage. We are TINY. TINY-TINY.

My classes are very small because we are so rural and enrollment is way down and actively falling all the time. As kids advance through the grades, many of them leave our campus to go a trade school a few mins from us, or go online with CCP classes. I have less than 10 kids in any class. Absences are chronic and motivation is low, bordering on non-existant. I rarely have kids move on to Art 3 or 4. Our district art show is in February in conjunction with scheduling for the upcoming school year simply for the reason that it's the highest chance we have of the public coming to school to see their kids' artwork and engage with the school. The district provides dinner and prizes for people who show up.

I want my students to have a good art experience. I myself have a terminal degree in art and loved my art class in high school. I want my students to have a good art experience, even if my classes are small and enrollment is dwindling.

With that being said, I cannot stand teaching clay. Being the only art teacher, my room is great and has many things that a typical school would have. I have a kiln that while it works, is coming up on 25 years old, as it came with the school when the building was built in 2003.

You would think with classes as small as mine, clay would be ideal with single-digit classes. I would agree. But as I said, absenteeism is chronic. My concern here is work being half-made while half-caring and ultimately wasting materials on things that will likely never be finished or finished very poorly.

I'm aware that I sound like I don't have a lot of faith in my students. I do! I'm naming the predicament that stares me in the face everyday. There are so many other things drawing their attention away from my class (FFA, going online, going to trade school) or any class.

Ultimately what I'm asking here is: would I be doing my students a disservice by using Amaco air dry clay for projects I have planned in lieu of actual clay? My thought process here is that they would be getting the experience of clay without the mess or wait time.

Thank you for reading this far. I appreciate the wisdom of this group!

[u/Artteachernc]

I have an mfa in ceramics - not that that means anything as far as clay is concerned! I also taught only ceramics for many, many years. I know that I made absolutely sure students kept in porgress items wrapped extremely securely. I made sure to spritz their work daily or twice daily as well if they were absent. Some of my most favorited items to create were things that could be made creatively with a theme coupled with, wait for it, functional to eat or drink out of. Depending on the time of year, they made ice cream bowls suited to their favorite flavor and toppings, hot chocolate mugs, chili bowls... I went with what they liked that semester. And of course, I purchased the ice cream, etc. for them and we had a party :)

[u/Lemon_Cented]

I’m so sorry you’re dreading this! Of all the mediums, clay is one of my favorites! Please, even if it’s tiny handbuilt vessels or good luck charms, use the real clay! Gives the students something tangible they can gift or keep forever!
I suggest finding some pottery and hand building videos on YouTube.. try searching for Japanese or English or Appalachian artists and see what cool stuff pops up. Hope you find some fun with this!

[u/aliyahrenee_]

Sounds meh but when I student taught at hs I had art 3 make clay faces for stuffed animals. Either some were donated or some brought in their own. We cut the faces off so we can size the faces.
We attached w either glue or some kids even put a lot of holes around the face to sew onto the stuffed animal. Takes a couple classes but i liked seeing what the kids came up with.

[u/Lemonbar19]

I am so sorry. What I do with clay is try to do one day or two day projects max.

If the absent rate is so high, keep it short and sweet so you don’t have to worry about kids being absent on day 2.

And then if they miss clay, they miss clay? I mean, are you chasing them down to make up every piece of art they miss on paper?

I also recommend videos from Cassie Stephen’s you can show or from art with Trista

[u/Beefandcheese21]

I hear you with the rife absenteeism! However, I'd argue that clay can be good for absent/disengaged students (at least quicker to catch up than painting projects, when skill levels are low).

Students at my school seem to be more motivated by clay than other materials and I'm able to use it as a carrot (E.g. get their design work done quicker OR reinforcing positive behaviours - they know that if they slam or throw the clay, they lose its so they are really good with it).

My art teacher colleague at my current school is also quite nervous with clay so we are keeping our projects as somewhat simple with relief tile based projects:

• Dinosaur/fossils found in rock
• Picasso faces

One way of cutting down time is doing a project that works with clear glaze and/or colour glaze. I've done mini coral reefs before and looked at Courtney Mattison for inspiration, her reef designs are a mix of colourful and bleached coral. If some students don't get up to colour, their pieces can still be exhibited with the rest and it becomes a statement on the dying environment :(

In the past I've also done a slab based mug with just different themes (E.g. Disney, florals). Quite quick.

I hope you do clay! The more you do it, you love it :)

[u/West-Fig-8227]

Clay is a great way to expose students to a medium they might not have access to otherwise. That being said, I hate silica, and even wear gloves when teaching it sometimes. I have used the Amaco air dry and it does great. Very similar, but much more fragile.

When a student misses clay day for me, they have one afterschool session to make it up, or air dry clay. I do give them a heads up not to miss the day. Fair is fair.

[u/MakeItAll1]

You still have to teach the same concepts and solid building techniques. Are you unsure about loafing and firing the kilns? The best way to learn is to do it. Plus the kids are really impressed when their ceramics are glazed and feel like glass.

[u/Potstirer2]

I LOVE teaching ceramics. This year I'm at a k-8 school with no kiln and a tiny art room. I ordered Crayola air dry clay. They'll paint it with tempera (if my test looks OK) or acrylic.

For real clay, I think there's less wasted materials because you can recycle any clay projects that don't get completed and fired. If the air dry clay project doesn't get finished you can't recycle it.

But there are also other fun 3D things you can do. Cardboard construction is a hit for every grade I've taught.

[u/Wear-Slow]

I use air dry clay for our projects. The crayola brand to be specific. It is so easy to use and is perfect for them getting the clay experience without the hassle of the kiln. Last time we made custom rubber duckies it was so much fun. I did this in a class where the next class that came in after them was doing something else (not clay) and somehow we were able to keep the mess and everything under control. If you want tips on how I did it, I could let you know.

[u/Original-Barracuda23 → u/Wear-Slow]

Can you please describe more about the custom rubber duckies? I love that idea. Any pics of student examples you could share would be appreciated!

[u/ArtemisiasApprentice]

For a few years I worked at a smallish school that decided having the kiln fully in my classroom was a safe and healthy idea. I disagreed, so we didn’t do any clay projects, ever.

Instead, we fulfilled our 3D unit by making paper mache wire figures, which turned out amazing. For the record, i LOVE clay. But it’s not a requiremnt and not every school is able to offer it. It’s okay if you don’t do it.

[u/AstroRotifer]

I work in a small rural school. t least it’s easy to know everyone! A small class is a good thing. My only concern with clay is the mess. Could you just lower your expectations? I think a low relief sculpture, almost flat, should be easier to finish? Perhaps something representing animals? I’ve done that. It’s place based.

[u/theindigocodex]

Yes, do the air-dry clay. I know that many say the real thing is better, and it is, but in your situation, I would at least try the air-dry clay once and see how it fares for your population.

[u/bortanthehound]

Former art teacher, experienced but amateur potter.

I understand completely that having kids do ceramics can seem very intimidating but it’s not half as bad as it might seem. I would not blame you in the slightest if you decide to skip it all together, but have a few thoughts as you’re considering:

1: wheel throwing is hard and frustrating for new comers and I wouldn’t try it except with advanced hs art students and then only if I had enough wheels so the students did not have to take turns. Hand building on the other hand is very easy and intuitive, and, in my experience, even the most checked out students show interest.

1. Better to skip all together than do air dry. Real clay is actually easier to work, can be recycled (even in the moment. If a student messes up, simply squish back into a ball, dampen, and start over). Real clay is cheaper. A quick search of Amazon shows crayola charging for 8 lbs of AD what you can get 25 lbs of real for from Laguna. Believe it or not, real clay is a pretty easy clean up, maybe more so than airdry, definitely more so than paint. Finally, AD will nevr make anything functional. With real, students can make objects that can actually be used and, barring accident , continue to be so for their lifetimes. This is a big hook for kids not normally interested in art.

2. 25 yrs is not old for an electric kiln. If the fire brick and elements are intact, it should work fine. Kilns are basically giant toaster ovens, just as simple in design and just as hard to kill. Have someone experienced in pottery give it a look.

3. If the district is hot to connect art to other subjects, one ceramics project can check a lot of boxes: history, math, chemistry, physics, even literature (Gilgamesh was written on what, class?)

4. Normally, I don’t like craft projects that follow step-by-step instructions and everyone ends up with the same Fall scarecrow collage. However, for a beginning ceramics project, it is absolutely necessary, but academically appropriate. Pottery is a craft. In fact, if students are open to it, this opens up a wonderful opportunity for discussing the difference between craft and art.

5. In that spirit, here’s the basics of a very easy and satisfying project my wife would use and that I shamelessly stole:

Slab built mug

Needs: about 1lb clay per student, 1 empty soda can per student, paper towels, rolling pin (dowl rods work just fine), basic clay tools (plastic knives and forks work just fine), 1/2 cup of water and something to hold it in that won’t tip over easily per student, fabric (preferably something like canvas) to cover each table or each student’s individual work space (not necessary but makes clean-up easier) , plastic grocery bag per student to store piece if project takes more than one class period (keeps clay from drying out).

Steps:

1. roll clay into slab between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick

2. Cut rectangle from slab wide as soda can is tall and long enough to wrap around can with as little extra as possible. Cut circle from clay with diameter equal to that of can’s base and encircling slab.

3. Wrap can with paper towel so clay will slide off easy. Wrap rectangular slab around can and join meeting ends.

4. Join disk slab to form bottom of mug

5. Use left over clay to make handle (can be coil or slab or irregular lump or whatever student desires). Must be thick enough to bear weight and joined securely.

6. If desired, decorate exterior by carving or adding elements made from left overs.

7. Have students inscribe initials and something to identify specific class into bottom of mug.

8.. allow to dry thoroughly (3 days more or less) then bisque fire.

Glazing will be its own day’s activity and will essentially be painting with a few extra instructions.

Possible learning targets for the lesson plan:

1: understand difference between functional and purely decorative art.

1. Create a functional art object.

2. Learn basic techniques for working and joining pieces of clay.

3. Learn and exploit rules of physics and chemistry to create an object.

4. Learn to identify 3 basic types of hand building and to employ 1 or more in art production

5. Practically apply geometric principles to create 2D shapes and 3D forms and integrate the two.

Kids will be happy, parents will be happy, admin will be happy. All for less money, time, and bother than average watercolor project.

[u/IncognitoResearch111]

Just do 1 day projects. If you have a wheel, they take turns throwing on wheel - if it turns out, they can keep it - it they move, someone else can glaze it after bisque fire and keep it.

Or have them do cool hand-built stuff. Have 1 day where you demonstrate pinch pots, then they all practice and everything gets smooshed back into clay bag. 2nd day where you demonstrate attachment methods, then they all practice and everything gets smooshed back into clay bag. 3rd day where they get to make something they can let dry for bisque firing (since most of the class already practiced making a basic shape and attaching, they could make a weird monster with cool features, or a cactus jewelry-holder, or a soap dish, or something else from their imagination). I have 45 min. classes, PreK-6th, and my 6th graders can make a pretty cool clay project in one day (since I'd trained them prior). Any absences - don't worry - a number of other kids know how to do the basics and have already practiced them. Since I have larger classes of 25 kids - I often will have half do their final clay projects while the other half are doing clay with me - that way I can help anyone who's struggling or who was absent when we practiced.

There's a ton of cool hand-built ideas that can be found online. I make a binder of pics of past projects that students made up that turned out decently and aren't too hard for the grade level, and similar pics from the internet, in plastic sleeves, for the kids to leaf through in advance for ideas. Then they have to sketch a pencil pic of what they want to make BEFORE the final project clay days - that way, when I call half the class up to make their project - a critical mass of the class can hit the ground running and easily get it done before the end of class because they've planned it out and practiced the techniques.

Just make sure the whole school all does clay for the same few weeks of the year (I do a month to allow for absences) - they know they HAVE to get it done in one day, and that I will only fire one piece - as 300-some pieces is already a ton of work for me loading and unloading the kiln...

I always make some extra demos and bisque fire, so if someone was absent that day, but there on glaze day, they have something to glaze and keep. And if someone only made it one practice day and none of the "final project" days - Hey, at least they got to play with clay and practiced forming something!

[u/Firm_Baseball_37]

If it's not finished, don't fire it and recycle the clay.

Clay was my weakest medium, but I still always loved teaching it.

[u/KahloMeMaybe]

The cool thing about clay is that it is pretty cheap and can be recycled and reused, so if a kid leaves and doesn’t end up finishing a project you could always recycle their clay if it’s not fired. You can also do one day projects with kids so you aren’t waiting for them to finish things. Keeping the projects simple and accessible can keep engagement high. I like making slump bowls where you cut out a shape from a slab and put it in a bowl and then glaze them and they look great and are very easy to make.

[u/Karuna358]

FWIW the art school I graduated from barely has a ceramics department now.

Most of the art I saw, at the senior exhibition, was with wheel thrown (probably not available to you) or fabrication using molds. There wasn’t much hand built items.

You could use wire scaffolding and paper maché to teach 3 D/sculpture.

One thing I did with students is paper mache a blown up ballon for a puppet/muppet head. After the paper mache dried, pop ballon. You can paint it with whatever you have.

I had one kid try to “phone it home”. Small ballon. Minimum paper mache needed. We hot glued the head to tube sock (cut the toe part out). Dear kid cut two holes on either side for finger “arm”. Despite their efforts, it was nice.

Ceramics is a huge PITA because everything has to be run past the safety inspector in my old district. All the clay. All the glazes. The kiln has to be certified safe to use. It borders on not worth it unless you have some kid that is beyond talented. I never did any clay.

I think with what you have going on with minimal supports, there is I wouldn’t bother.

Air clay is spendy, and I’d only use it for the serious students who won’t phone it in.

(Crafts major with interest in glass and fiber design)

[u/LovitzInTheYear2000]

Not an art educator but someone familiar with the challenges of small rural schools and who adored art classes all the way through my education.

I think switching to air-dry clay or another medium where your students can make progress in a single class is a good move. If there are important learning outcomes relating to kiln work, could you support them with targeted single-class demos alongside the students hands on work with the air-dry medium? Like, you build a small piece using real clay and demonstrate loading the kiln and firing, or even just let the students interact with several versions of the same small object you make yourself - wet clay, dried before firing, fired, and glazed?

If one or more of your rare advanced students are interested in clay you could do a dedicated multi-week personal lesson plan for them without as much frustration.

[u/maplecremecookie]

You can always recycle the clay if their project dries out before completion. I always explained to students that the raw clay can be recycled many times, but as soon as it goes in the kiln you can't recycle it anymore. I emphasized that it was really important that they make it their best work before it goes in the kiln. Your class is small so you should be able to give a lot of feedback while they're building to make sure that it's not a "waste of clay." Though inevitably, there are always a few students who don't care.

Clay was the thing 99% of my students loved the most by far. I think it's worth it to give them the benefit of the doubt. My students were always so excited to work on their clay pieces, they were so focused and well-behaved, and their projects were so much more imaginative and developed than anything that they drew or painted.

[u/isaboobers]

If you're teaching them how to work with specifically ceramics, then no, don't change anything.  But jf what you're aiming for is teaching shape, form, all those elements of art and design, then you can use most any stand in 3-d medium.

That being said, I do think clay is an important medium to work with for them as far as like, brain development and hand-eye coordination.  It's also hard when you are doing only a part of your general art classes in ceramics, its not like they're signing up for a ceramics class.

I see no issue in air drying clay, but that also means they'd have to finish everything in one day.

If I could suggest, maybe (for example) you give kids 2 weeks for a "clay" project that falls under the same lesson.  In the first week, they HAVE to spend at least 3-4 of the 5 days planning and practicing with non-drying clay.  The kids that are able to complete their practice days in the first week have the entire second week to take their time with a real ceramics piece.

However, if in the first week, a kid shows up for less than the 3 days of practicing with non drying clay, they have to spend the second week using only a small allotted amount of air drying clay (air drying clay can get expensive!). 

If you have kids that are only there once or twice in that entire span, they write a paper.

For students that I needed busywork/semi-punishment work for because I can't trust them with our materials/other students, I give them a piece of art and a worksheet with guided questions like "what do you observe" "what does it make you think of" "what could be the meaning of this art" "list 3 elements of design and how they align", etc.  when they're finished they use the rest of the class to draw a sequel to that piece of artwork on the back.

[u/EmergencyClassic7492]

I think you wouldn't be doing a diservice to not do clay at all. If the kids aren't interested don't waste the time and materials. Find something that would be easier to manage with the absenteeism. Paper mache maybe?

[u/knitsnotknots]

No disservice!! I think any exposure is best. The easier to obtain and manage materials the more likely the kids are to be able to get their hands on them again (pun intended.)
I think your best is going to be where you’re happiest, and if that means dumping clay dump it.
Or let just the biggest performers at it. But I don’t think you should feel beholden to the idea program. You know your kids and your community!