My son's Art teacher told the kids today

[madaboutharry]

that those who signed up for Art next year will have to pay for their own art materials.

He said she was upset to tell them, but I think she was just grateful she wasn't on the list of teachers getting fired.

[csziggy]

1. Our niece teaches art in a very underfunded school system

Last year she got $300 for art supplies for five classes of 25 students each. That is $12 per student for materials for the entire year. The parents' association managed to get her more money through their fund raising and she has managed to collect supplies from family and friends.

For instance, my husband works for a printing/copy business. Their wide printers use high quality paper on rolls. They cannot use the very ends of the rolls and often throw them away. He saved them and she got yards of 36" wide paper to use. He also managed to save odd bits of colored paper left over from printing jobs.

Maybe some of the parents can start trying to collect stuff like that for the kids to use? Or do as the parents' association did and do fund raising to benefit some of the school programs?

[EFerrari]

2. That's only 2.40 per kid.

Yikes.

[Bluebear]

5. And how much did we give to AIG? American priorities.

[EFerrari]

6. They don't even know where the first round of billions went.

But we count every penny spent on crayons and paper for kids. :grr:

[John Q. Citizen]

8. time for another "SNACK" concert. Where is Bill Graham when we need him?

[EFerrari]

9. Bill Graham used to go back stage and check everyone's ID

and monitor trips to the buffet! LOL! He was really something, that guy. :)

Neil Young has the Bridge Concert every year. There should be a way to raise money for music and art at our schools until we get our wallets back from Wall Street. A national day to pitch in or something.

[John Q. Citizen]

11. Uncle Bobo sure loved his audience, though. And he worked his ass off. I saw

him taking tickets, selling orange juice, parking cars at 6:45 am at Autzun Stadium in a drizzle.

One Chinese New Year show at the Civic I was across the street as the show was starting looking for someone to sell me a ticket and Bill came out and gave about 20 people (including me) a ticket.

He was tough to to work for though. He had quite the temper if he thought someone was slacking.

At the US Festival I saw him get into an on-stage public verbal fight with Ray Davies, 'cause the Kinks didn't want to do an encore.

[csziggy]

12. My arithmatic sucks! Yeah, she basically had nothing to work with

The school had not had an art teacher for several years so she did not even have left over supplies to start with.

[rucky]

14. There's a shop in Portland called Scrap that collects art supplies that way.

And teachers can buy there for super cheap.

[Iwillnevergiveup]

3. Absolutely

she and the kids are fortunate she'll be back. I don't doubt this will be a hardship for many families, but hopefully everyone will get the supplies they need and take care of them.

[sandnsea]

4. Our kids have an art fee

It's not much, $25 or something, a lot of high school classes have fees though. Our middle school cut art altogether, they cut just about everything really. We passed a small levy, so they're working out what they can keep. It won't be much though. They need to raise taxes on the upper 5% is what they need to do.

[EFerrari]

7. What is the age group, mad? Is there some way to raise the money

in the community?

Too bad we have so much money for wars and none for our kids.

[proteus_lives]

10. That sucks.

I hope parents ask the school board to provide more money for art class. If nothing else, provide the money and materials for their own children. Art is important for kids.

[HillbillyBob]

13. It is so sad that we can spend billions

on war but 12$ per per child per year is too much to ask.
Im somewhat artistic (and frugal) I used to do near museum quality furniture restorations on not much more.
Music and Art bring out the best and most creative parts of our kids and can help make learning interesting.
But I guess the powers that be don't want creative thinking citizens?
Learning to create from almost nothing can be a life saving or at least sanity saving thing to know about.
just my 2c.
I grew up around Depression Era Great Grandparents and Grandparents.
Waste Not were words to survive by, but they were always glad to help with artsy things even when it was not something of a priority..like getting the cows fed.
My dad worked at a paper mill and donated a lot of reams of paper that would have been wasted or even just turned back into the process.
One teacher even said it let her get paints and things she would not have been able to afford on the art budget.
The school district that I grew up in was not in a wealthy area and funding was always short for art.
I think art can be one of our saving graces.

[LWolf]

15. That's a familiar story.

All sports and other extra-curriculars in my district are now "pay to play."

We lost our elementary PE and music teachers, and we'll be teaching PE and music next year, despite our distinct lack of qualifications to do so.

42 teachers were laid off last week.

There was a wholesale shifting of staff yesterday, with teachers finding out that they've been reassigned to different sites and grade levels all over the district. One of our 5th grade teachers was reassigned to teach kindergarten across town next year. My teaching partner was reassigned to the high school. I don't know about the rest, since the official list won't be posted until next week.

[KittyWampus]

16. While I share the outrage re:underfunding Art but over-indulging AIG etc there is a bright side

Believe it or not-

this forces teachers AND students to be more creative and inventive and start using waste materials and found objects.

Here are some ideas:

Collect used newspapers and use them for paper mache. One of my most memorable experiences in grade school art was doing paper mache with old newspapers.

What you need to buy or bring in or have donated besides old newspaper-

Wallpaper glue (local hardware store may even donate) or white glue diluted
Paint (left over paints from household projects parents may have at home
Sticks (ice cream sticks or twigs from outside) to use as connnectors if necessary
Tissue paper like you get in gift boxes

What you do-

Roll pieces of newspaper into balls and shape them to the form you need.. oval, ball, square and then wrap with newspaper strips soaked in glue. Allow to dry and harden, cut hole in bottom and pull out stuffing. Apply tissue paper soaked in glue for building up forms. Connect parts using sticks. Paint and apply found glitzy stuff.


......................................



Collect old fabric, yarns and batting from old clothes, quilt scraps, knitting and use for Bendy-dolls. Quilt shops or your local Quilters Guild will almost certainly be willing to donate these scaps Awesome results that REALLY appeal to all ages.

What you need to buy or bring in or have donated besides old fabric-

Wire for the armature (older kids can use wire hangers, younger kids need rolls of lighter gauge wire)
Thread/Crewel needles

What you do-

Twist wire into armature shape. Wrap in batting to build up form and hold it together with loosely stitched batting. Wrap tightly in fabric strips which form the outside/final skin. Yarns wrapped and tacked going the opposite direction secure fabric. Adorn with found glitz.



A quick Google just now yielded a GREAT page for making sculptures out of tin foil.
http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/Files/world.htm





Here are Ndebele folk dolls that can be made from toilet paper or paper towel rolls:

[madaboutharry]

18. The last art project from this year was

making sculptures out of milk cartons. You're right, poverty can often spur creativity.

[saltpoint]

17. I don't see why they even offer Art in schools in the first place.

What good is it, really?

Almost nobody makes any money off it and half the crap in museums is just a bunch of abstract squiggles and stuff.

It's essentially a bunch of doodles in a frame. And of no real use to everyday people in real life.

Plus it makes some people act weird.

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[Zookeeper]

22. And it distracts kids from really important stuff like SPORTS!

:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[proud2BlibKansan]

19. Guess how much I got for classroom supplies this year?

Nada.

That's zero.

Don't expect anything next year either.

[Born_A_Truman]

20. Have him give her this link

http://www.iloveschools.com/

[madaboutharry]

21. I will certainly let her know about this.

Thank you so much for the link.