Cassie Stephens

Warning: this story is not appropriate for young listeners or anyone sensitive to adult content. I mean, I don't cuss or anything (surprise!) but this is a completely NOT art teacherin' episode and strictly for fun and laughs. This story is one I tell to my closest of friends so consider yourself a good buddy. Also, this episode makes for an epic drinking game...you'll find out the magic word within the first five minutes. Enjoy!

I've been contemplating sharing this episode with you for a long time. This episode was very difficult for me to talk about and share but I truly felt like there were somethings that I needed to say. This episode may not be appropriate for younger listeners so please be advised. Thank you for letting me share this rough and raw side of my teaching and my life. 

Congratulations! Whether you've landed a new art teacherin' gig or your very first...OR you are just looking to revamp and reorganize your art room, have I got an episode for you! I'll walk you through all the mistakes I made when landing the job at my current school...and all the things I would have done differently. From taking stock of all that you have, to creating an inventory, writing up a supply list, getting all of that organized and much more...we have a lot to cover in this podcast. So let's get started! 

After 7 years into art teacherin', I hit a wall. You could call it depression, burnout, the 7 year itch...I called it frightening. I started to ask myself "is this IT?!" Am I going to spend the next 20 plus years feeling stressed, tired, overwhelmed and underappreciated? It was a dark place to be in...but I managed to get myself out of it. I find that I'm now a happier person which makes for a happy art teacher...one that my students deserve. If you find yourself in this place, no matter what your career, you might want to take a listen. What helped me may help you as well. 

I'm so excited to share all the ups and downs, ins and outs that my 20 years of art teacherin' and art makerin' has gifted me. This podcast episode serves as an introduction so you can know what to find when you join me here. Some weeks we'll chat classroom management while others we'll talk about how to get back to what brought us to teaching art in the first place: creating. It's a mixed bag of nuts, just like we folks who teach art. I'm so glad you are here.