what i love about my job:

coming home with paint in my fingernails
finding a lost crayon in my pocket
seeing ideas that go through a kid's mind drawn out on paper
getting drawings that say "to art teacher you are nice so nice"
giving kids cleaning up assignments
hearing them recite the elements of art that i taught them
making lesson plans for modern and relevant art projects
giving tours to kids who have never been to a museum before
teaching about animation and movies
mixing paint colors
unclogging glue bottles
counting scissors
trying out a project before the lesson is taught
hearing parents say how much they appreciate art classes being available to their kids
parents asking when the next class will be
awarding scholarships
giving out certificates
first graders
collaborating with other art instructors, tour guides, and kim
opening night for a new exhibit and talking to the artists
watching the curatorial department hang the art and title cards
looking down the hallway at the office and seeing GOOD art
seeing art come in from the community during auctions and local artist shows
leftover hors d'oevres after an event
announcing to a class that we'll be painting today
lunch in the sculpture garden
...i felt the need to focus on the positive, rather than who is giving me an ulcer