AmyHall 06/17/2012 at 01:15pm
I do... One school on two campuses. One room is Prek-2nd, the other 3rd - 8th. I spend my mornings at the upper campus and travel everyday to the lower campus. I found that some items I NEED in both rooms - paper cutter, colored paper pencils glue ets) and others I sometimes have to move around with me based on the projects - India Ink, posters, glazes. My biggest struggle is time! I have plenty of time at my first campus in the morning, but feel rushed when I entered the second campus, just as the kids are coming into my room (I have a very short travel time to get from here to there). I found that I have to have as much as possible - including water cups and paintbrushes, set up the night before.

I would love to hear your take on it as well as I am just figuring it out as well. I've only had this position for a year, going into my second year.

rlaurenzi 06/19/2012 at 06:08pm
I have been traveling between two schools (K-6) for five years now, and I still don't think I completely have a hold on it. It's too much to ask of anyone, BUT, we are lucky to have classrooms at all, right? Here are some pointers that have saved me:

1) I teach the same lessons at both schools, so instead of writing objectives, SPI's, vocab, or whatever, on the board at both schools FOR EACH LESSON (double work), I do this: Write the info for the lesson on a large piece of manila paper (one sheet for each lesson), punch holes in the top and insert metal rings, and make a flip-chart, which I can carry back and forth not problem (Use poster board sheets for front and back cover to make it more durable). If you don't mind being a pack-rat, you can keep the sheets and use them again next year.

2) I also have more time at one school, so I actually prepare materials there, which I later take over to the other school (cutting paper, making handouts, etc)

3) Two classrooms means two art displays to change every month! We must post specific information on our displays, such as project descriptions, objectives, etc. If you do that too, try making sure that the same project is displayed at both schools so you only have to type up one set of documents. Also, making lettering is more efficient if both bulletin boards have the same title.

4) If a coworker is giving you a sideways glance because he or she thinks you should be responsible for decorating the stage for programs at TWO schools, kindly remind them of your circumstance, and try not to hold it against them. They don't know how hard you work as an art teacher, and they don't know what it's like to run back and forth as the creativity expert for two schools. ;)

That's all I can think of right now. I'll post more if it pops to mind. Hang in there, and respect your own limits!

Artist_RhiCG 07/08/2012 at 11:29am
I teach at both the Middle School and the High School. Luckily, my travel time is incorporated into my planning period.
I do find myself taking supplies from the High School over to the Middle School a couple of times a week. At the High School I have ample storage room and ample supplies. However, there is next to no storage at the Middle School and no budget. It does no good to try to leave supplies at the Middle School as the room does not lock and the other teachers tend to borrow supplies and not bring them back. My room locks at the high school and I'm there most of the day.
Since I have such a large age difference in my schools I really can't do the same lesson plans for both.

In your situation I think I would invest in one of the two-wheeled airline pull carts and a couple of plastic crates to bungee to it, for supplies and other things you need at both schools. I had a professor that used to pull one of those behind her because she had to teach in two different buildings.