Recorded live at the Illinois Art Education Association Conference, Tim Bogatz and Amanda Heyn dive into the November Mailbag to answer the audience's best questions! They tackle how to avoid the internet rabbit hole when planning lessons, ways to design meaningful projects with very limited class time, and how to help middle schoolers generate their own ideas through scaffolding, choice within boundaries, and celebration of creative risk-taking.

Along the way, they connect these topics back to the power of community—online and in person—and even weigh in on the great Halloween candy debate (Snickers? Baby Ruth? Smarties…really?). It's an energetic, audience-driven episode filled with important discussions and concrete strategies you can use in your classroom immediately.

• • Join the Art of Ed Community
  • Check out AOE's FLEX Curriculum
  • Designing Your Art Curriculum
  • How to Help Students Make Meaningful Original Art

In part two of this special fiction-meets-art-history podcast, you'll step into the MoMA after hours, where a professional development retreat turns into something much more sinister. What begins as an inspiring evening quickly spirals into chaos when Dalí's The Persistence of Memory disappears.

The Dalí is gone. The suspects are gathered. And the detectives are running out of time.

In the shocking conclusion to An Art History Mystery, our five art teachers—Delilah, Solomon, Madison, Amber, and Robert—return to the Museum of Modern Art for questioning. As the night deepens, stories twist, motives unravel, and the truth finally surfaces.

Who had the means? Who had the motive? And who had the opportunity to steal one of the most iconic paintings in modern art?

Listen as Detectives Kelly and Forrest piece together the clues in a finale filled with confessions, contradictions, and the ultimate reveal of the thief behind The Persistence of Memory.

Was it an act of obsession, ambition, or art itself?

Find out in this second and final episode of An Art History Mystery.

• • Join the Art of Ed Community
  • Check out the Community's Halloween Costume Contest
  • How Mysteries Can Make Learning Exciting
  • 6 Creepy Artworks for Halloween
  • Art Teacher Horror Stories

A locked museum. Five eccentric art teachers. One missing Salvador Dalí masterpiece.

In this special fiction-meets-art-history podcast, you'll step into the MoMA after hours, where a professional development retreat turns into something much more sinister. What begins as an inspiring evening quickly spirals into chaos when Dalí's The Persistence of Memory disappears.

Each teacher has their quirks, secrets, and possible motives:

• Delilah Rose – the bubbly Ms. Frizzle of the art room, all glitter glue and good intentions… but is she too innocent?

• Solomon Ochre – the arrogant competitor, desperate to showcase his talent and prove his importance.

• Amber Russell – indifferent, sarcastic, observant, and maybe secretly brilliant.

• Madison Periwinkle – the "artfluencer", livestreaming for clout and sharing her entire teaching experience.

• Robert Celadon – the old school purist, obsessed with tradition, forgery, and art history.

When the painting vanishes, suspicion falls on them all. With quirky detectives, unreliable security, and tangled motives, this is more than a PD event—it's a full-blown art heist mystery.

Listen now to experience a story blending art history, teaching art, and true-crime-style suspense.

Can you solve the mystery before the detectives do?

• • Join the Art of Ed Community
  • Check out the Community's Halloween Costume Contest
  • How Mysteries Can Make Learning Exciting
  • 6 Creepy Artworks for Halloween
  • Art Teacher Horror Stories

In this episode from the archives of Art Ed Radio, Tim Bogatz is joined by author and assessment expert Katie White to explore how thoughtful assessment practices can nurture a culture of creativity in the art room.

Katie shares insights from her decades in education and explains how assessment, when reimagined, can become a powerful tool for decision-making, reflection, and growth. Together, they discuss how to create safe spaces for risk-taking, why delaying criteria setting can spark deeper exploration, and how observation and conversation are just as valid as portfolios or rubrics.

Whether you're just beginning to think about assessment or looking for new strategies to integrate it into your creative classroom, this conversation is full of practical advice and fresh perspectives.

• Challenges to Foster Creativity
• Cultivating Creativity in Our Students
• Read Katie's book Unlocked: Assessment as the Key to Everyday Creativity in the Classroom
• Check out Katie's website

Tim Bogatz and Amanda Heyn are back this week with the Art Ed Radio October Mailbag! After a few updates on everything happening in the Art of Ed Community, they dive into a variety of listener questions. Listen as they discuss the best lessons for your observations, their favorite strategies for sub tubs, and ideas on how to get middle schoolers engaged, plus offer some advice on what to do if your painting lesson isn't quite going how you hoped.

• • Check out the Art of Ed Community and join in the conversation!
  • See the Art of Ed's FLEX Curriculum
  • Simplify and De-Stress Your Sub Plans
  • The Quiz About the Teacher that Amanda mentioned
  • 10 Better Ways to Balance Work and Life
  • See John Hansen's gamification board on Art Teacher Cribs
  • Learn more about the Art Ed NOW Conference

In today's episode of Art Ed Radio, Brooke Morse joins Tim and shares her journey in art education, discussing her teaching philosophy, curriculum development, and the balance between structure and student choice in the classroom. She emphasizes the importance of artist statements, self-reflection, and the role of art as a means of personal expression and community connection. Brooke also offers valuable insights and advice for educators looking to implement TAB (Teaching for Artistic Behavior) in their classrooms.

• • Join the Art of Ed Community
  • Follow Brooke on Instagram
  • View Brooke's website
  • What Do New Teachers Need to Know About Curriculum?

In this episode of Art Ed Radio, Tim sits down with Liz Byron-Loya—art teacher, author, and advocate for Universal Design for Learning (UDL)—to explore how UDL transforms the visual arts classroom. Together, they break down the core principles of UDL, strategies for removing barriers to learning, and ways to better engage every student.

Liz also shares insights from the newly released second edition of her book Art for All, featuring updates on culturally sustaining pedagogy and the role of AI in education. Listen as the discussion touches on the nature of teaching, the power of student feedback, and why sustainable, inclusive practices are essential for education.

• • Join the Art of Ed Community
  • Listen to Liz's previous Art Ed Radio appearance
  • Find Liz's book on Amazon and the CAST website
  • Check out LudiA, the AI-powered chatbot for UDL

Starting your first year of teaching can be exciting, but it also comes with challenges that no one fully prepares you for. In this episode of Art Ed Radio, Tim Bogatz and Janet Taylor dig into questions from new teachers about the difficult scenarios they're already facing. From difficult colleagues to pushy administrators, supply and budget shortages, tough parents, and even unsafe student behavior, we share strategies to help you navigate it all. Whether you're setting boundaries, finding your voice with parents, or just trying to keep your art room stocked, this episode is packed with practical advice and reassurance that you're not alone.

• • Join the Art of Ed Community
  • Learn more about the Art Ed NOW Conference
  • September Mailbag: Saying No Without Guilt
  • Janet's podcast on assessment and grading
  • Strategies for Defusing and De-Escalating Behaviors
  • Check out the Art Room Makeover Playlist

In this episode of Art Ed Radio, Tim talks with Chicago-area high school art teacher Liz Brent from AOEU's Draw the Line series. Liz shares her journey from a chaotic first year without a mentor to becoming a confident teacher who helps others manage classrooms with structure and ease. You'll hear why classroom management is the foundation of everything we do, how Liz learned to turn challenges into strategies, and why observing veteran teachers is one of the best ways to grow. Liz also shares practical, classroom-tested tips for creating a calm, creative, and productive space where students can thrive.

• • Watch the Draw the Line series on YouTube
  • What Do New Teachers Need to Know About Classroom Management?
  • Find other classroom management resources on the Art of Ed website
  • See the Art of Ed's FLEX Curriculum for additional resources
  • Learn more about the Art Ed NOW Conference

In this episode of Art Ed Radio, Tim Bogatz and Amanda Heyn tackle the real questions art teachers are asking—everything from how to protect your prep time, to saying "no" without guilt, to deciding which lessons deserve to be repeated year after year. Along the way, you'll hear strategies for handling challenging student behavior, creative approaches to gamifying the art room, and a lively discussion of Amanda and Tim's favorite artists.

• • Check out the Art of Ed Community and join in the conversation!
  • See the Art of Ed's FLEX Curriculum
  • Check out all the ceramics resources in FLEX
  • See John Hansen's gamification board on Art Teacher Cribs
  • Watch 5 Minutes of Art History about Do Ho Suh
  • Learn more about the Art Ed NOW Conference