5 Tips for Setting up Your Ceramic Classroom
1. General Organization
If you are currently an art teacher, you already know that organization is one of the most
essential parts of running a successful art room. This is even more true with Ceramics. Creating
systems is unique to every teacher. Ultimately, you must determine what makes the most
sense for your classroom, student level, and, most importantly, your sanity.
Questions to Ask Yourself
Where will your glazes live?
How will the students access them?
Where will you store your clay?
Where will your clay reclaim area be located?
Will supplies be at the table, or will each student have their own set of supplies to manage?
2. Clean-Up Routine
Clay is messy! This is not a secret. If you do not stay on top of the mess, your room and possib
the hall floors will be covered in clay. Make sure you have a system that makes clean-up quick
and simple for you and the students. Giving classroom jobs helps the classroom run smoothly
and offers a sense of responsibility for students of all ages.
Questions to Ask Yourself
Are you setting clear clean-up instructions?
Will each table be responsible for cleaning their table?
Will each table be assigned jobs?
Can you assign students to periodic jobs? (Cleaning areas/organization/clay reclaim)
3. Project Organization
Creating clay with 200-700 students can be overwhelming to think about. A system that
organises classes or periods can make managing project distribution easier. There are many
ways to do this; again, you have to do what makes the most sense. Does each class or period
have a code or symbol that can be on the bottom of the pieces? Do students put greenware in a
specific area taped off and labelled for their classroom or period? Creating a system that works
for your students can make loading, unloading, and distribution much more manageable. What
makes sense for your student level and classroom?
Questions to Ask Yourself
What kind of system makes sense for my classroom?
How can the students be an active part of the organization system?
Can students draw the symbol or code themselves?
Do students know where to pick up and drop off their projects for the kiln?
4. Recycling Clay
Understanding how to reclaim your clay is necessary to save your budget. It helps to have a
designated area with plaster bats* to dry the wet clay out, but this isn’t necessary. Depending
on the art room, a teacher may not have access to space or plaster materials. Allowing wet clay
to dry on a large piece of canvas or a drywall is also sufficient. Having students help with the
process and reclaiming clay in small batches can make it much more manageable.
*Plaster bats are flat pieces of plaster that recycled clay, which can be very wet, is spread upon to dry to a usable consistency.
Questions to Ask Yourself
Is my current reclaim process working for my classroom?
Are there ways to simplify the process?
Do I have students or an art club that can help with the process?
5. Glazes
Glazes can look very different before and after a glaze firing. Having a glazed tile is beneficial
for both you and your students. As an artist, you want to be able to physically look at what the
underglaze or glaze will look like. Making a system is a fantastic project for your oldest group of
students, art club, or advanced students. Having students help with the glaze tile process gives
them purpose and agency over the art room and, most importantly, takes a little off your plate.
Questions to Ask Yourself
How will the glaze tile system be displayed?
Chart? Wire Ring? Taped or Glued to the glaze bottle?
How can students access glazes in a way that also helps to keep them organized and easy to
find?
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