Should I choose art education as my major even though I don't think I'm good at drawing?

I am considering majoring in elementary art education, but I don't think I'm good at drawing. I want to teach children about art, but I'm concerned my drawing skills are below average of most art teachers. I know that there are two drawing classes I will have to take and also worry that I will not do well enough. Can any art education majors or teachers offer me some advice?

Should I choose art education as my major even though I don't think I'm good at drawing?
I agree with everyone else,,,if teaching art is your passion, then go for it! Don't let the fact that you are not a Picasso steer you away from you dream.





Good luck to you
Reply:Definitely! There is a lot more to art than drawing. If you are a wonderful teacher and have a positive attitude, I'm sure you would get hired in no time. If you just appreciate fine arts in general you could become a photography teacher, a sculpture teacher, or anything else that would involve the arts.
Reply:Art is not limited in drawing. There are other dimensions of expressing ones artistic talents. You may not be good at drawing but you may be good in abstract arts, etc. For your confirmation on the course that you are interested in, you can seek counsel from the school itself on this matter. I'm sure they are in the good position to give you advice. Best wishes!
Reply:If it is elementary, you probably won't need to be extremely good at painting rather just know the basics/fundamentals of painting/drawing.





If you are planning on becoming an elemantary teacher, chances of you drawing something complicated is slim.





I won't worry about it too much if you pass the exams and you have adaquate skills.





I'm not that good at painting either but I am majoring in arts, tho i'm more theory based.





Drawing is like math, the more you practice you'll get better,


so keep drawing on your spare time and ask people around you for advice and fix your problems as you go on





GOOD LUCK!
Reply:Hi, I am a teacher and I am also interested in Art History. I cannot draw a stickman!! Yet, when I was in college I had to take drawing classes. I didn't know how bad I was until my teacher told me that my drawings were the worst he had ever seen!!! I don't seem to be able to draw in three dimensions... it never occurred to me I guess. Anyway, I worked on my assignments for hours and hours outside of class, I went to the instructor's office hours, I constantly asked the instructor for suggestions for improvement - I put all of my effort into the class. At the end, I was sure that I was going to fail, but the instructor actually gave me an "A" because I worked so hard and I actually did learn and improve over the course of the semester.


So, you see, my point is that you do not necessarily need to "be good" to work on something. What you need is PASSION. Are you passionate about art history and/or art appreciation? Do you love being around children? Are you curious? If you possess these three qualities then you will succeed in anything to attempt. If you are unsure, then you should take an education class in which you actually get to go out in the public schools and teach children before you declare your major.What do you love more than anything?? This is what you should do with your life.





I majored in French despite the fact that my parents thought it was not a "real" degree. I got a chance to go out into several public high schools before I declared a degree in education. Luckily, I found that I do not like teaching teenagers before I went into that as a career. Now I teach at the college level and I love it!! I earn a good salary and I love going to work every day. Thanks to my knowledge of art and Art History, I now focus my research on studies in Word and Image / visual culture within the French and Francophone world.


In the end,your happiness is what matters. If you think you will be happy getting up early and going in to see the kids everyday, then perhaps you should do it.


Have you taken courses in pedagogy? Do you think you will be able to get into the Education program in you school? Where I went to school it was very competitive and they only allowed a few people each year. Will you enjoy the Art History courses? Will you enjoy doing research and writing papers on art?


Feel free to email me if you want to discuss your concerns. Best of luck to you in your college career.


Poupeechic@yahoo.com
Reply:I think you should choose what you like... if you don't think you're good at drawing, but that's what you wanna do, don't worry, keep practicing and you'll get better...





Good Luck..hope i helped
Reply:No; should I drive a car if I am blind? Should I fly a plane if I'm scared of heights? Just because you have an idea, doesn't make it a good idea.
Reply:Well, for one if you doubt yourself and say I can't do it, I can't, I'm no good then you'll never be able to have an art major. You have to have some pride~





And two, if art is something you love and something that you could have a passion for then go for it. As long as you love what you're doing then everything will fall into place.
Reply:I would say that being an art teacher and not knowing how to draw would be a terrible choice. In elementary school all they do is draw and doodle and make macaroni art. Its not until the higher levels, and thats if you lucky, you get real art education, not just the basics.





Talk to your adviser though, he will be able to help a lot
Reply:Please, follow your passion! Working with children is so rewarding and they need good role models! I also feel that children need to see that everyone is not good at everything. So you struggle with drawing- and you practice a lot! What a great lesson for them! Then you pull out your sculpture and they see that people are better when they are well rounded.





I see this as a wonderful teaching tool- so one kid isn't great at long division, but they are good at addition- just keep practicing :)





Another person answered with a doodle-art and macaroni answer and I feel that this really demeans the work that is going on in classrooms today. My students research and emulate famous artists in their art class as part of art appreciation and history right along with self creations.





One more thought- When you get really good at drawing (which you will if you practice), you may not want to show your work to the students anyway. Seeing works in progress/example work that isn't "perfect" allows the child to believe that they CAN "do art". Believe it or not, my students produce better work (art, writing, math) when they have seen only sample work that is unfinished from other students- not a perfect sample piece from me. More creativity!





Good Luck! Go for it!