Helen Hume is a retired art educator who has taught art at all levels, including pre-service teachers at Florissant Valley Community College, and has supervised practice teachers in art for Webster University and Fontbonne University. She also taught in international schools in São José dos Campos (Brazil) and Antwerp (Belgium), where her husband's work took them.

She is an active, exhibiting member of the St. Louis Artists’ Guild, and former editor of Keynotes, the Symphony's Volunteer Association's newsletter. She currently serves as photographer on the Picture the Music Committee of the St. Louis Symphony Volunteer Association. Hume is a plein-air oil painter and teaches painting in a sheltered workshop for adults. She has been a member of the National Art Education Association since the beginning of her art education career and was honored as Missouri's Higher Art Educator of the Year. She is the author of books such as The Art Teacher's Book of Lists and The Art Teacher's Survival Guide for Elementary and Middle Schools, Third Edition, which, co-authored with Marilyn Palmer, is her tenth book for artists and art educators.

Marilyn Palmer was an art educator for 34 years in Parkway School District, St. Louis County, Missouri. She taught art classes at the elementary level for 17 years. Her Master's thesis book, titled A Multicultural and Historical Art Curriculum Guide for Grades K–6, led to her teaching Cultural Connections as an art teacher for 2 years at a middle school. She later taught various art classes, including Computer Graphics and Ceramics in high school, where she also served as Department Chair and Regional Visual Arts Leader. Her travel experiences with art students at the secondary level include both domestic and international trips, such as to Italy, Spain, Greece/Grecian Islands, and England.

Within her classes, she taught many children of special needs as well as students who were identified as gifted in art. Marilyn was a consultant for The Art Teacher's Survival Guide for Secondary Schools by Helen Hume. She has also been a judge for Saint Louis Symphony's Picture the Music Competition, and currently teaches at Art Unleashed, where she offers classes to high school students as well as adults.

The authors are grateful to the people who taught us—our professors, fellow artists, museum professionals, other authors, and our students. We've learned from all of them. They are generous with ideas and love to help everyone learn. Often being told how to do something is just the beginning for students, who take it from there and go on to the next step—and do something which we teachers might not have considered!

Art teachers whose generous input was especially appreciated were consultants Lauren Schaefer and Linda Sachs. Lauren suggested changes from the Second Edition of the book and contributed several new projects to this Third Edition. TAB teacher Linda Sachs generously allowed the authors to observe her art studio classroom in action.

Other teachers, and artists who have shared ideas, student artwork and information are: Sandy Collins—Fine Arts Director (Ret.) Parkway School District; Carrie Finnestead; Dr. Jennifer Fisher—University of Missouri St. Louis; Julie Glossenger; Darcey Kemp; Dr. Louis Lankford; Dr. Mick Luehrman; Sherry Neifert and Shannon Leon—classroom teachers; Hester Menier—Missouri Art Education Association President; Brian Murphy; Linda Packard; Maggie Peeno; Brenna Roth; and Mary Tevlin.

In addition to student work, teachers, artists, and collectors have shared ideas and images that enhance this full color edition: Cathy Harland; Brother A. Brian Zampier; sculptor/photographer Sandy Skoglund; Sue Hinkel; and Dr. and Mrs. Stephen Kunz; and Laura Wagner—Fort Zumwalt Assistant, Public Relations and Media.

Friends and family who are sounding boards when we are talking about writing a book are most appreciated: Susan Hume, LuWayne Younghans, Cindy Kunz, Laurie Wilson, Beth Goyer, Suzanne Walker, Linda Bowers, Lauren Schaefer, Lindsey Vernon, John Palmer, and Peggy Dunsworth.

Professional information from school districts and workshops at the National and Missouri Art Education Associations led us in the right direction. A huge thank you to Dr. Dennis Inhulsen, Chief Learning Officer of the NAEA; Janice Hughes and Cathryn Gowan—staff members of the NAEA; Dr. Jennifer Fisher—University of Missouri St. Louis; Dr. Marilyn Stewart—NCCAS (National Common Core Art Standards); Rick Peterson—Show Me Art Editor (Ret.); Dr. Roger Kelly, Missouri Director of Fine Arts; Laura Wagner—Fort Zumwalt School District; Wentzville, Missouri; and Hester Menier—MAEA President.

Working with professionals in the publishing field has kept the authors on track as we all worked online within Jossey-Bass/Wiley's schedule that would ensure swift publication of this full-color book. Our gratitude for their guidance and patience to Editor Benji (Elisha Benjamin), Production Editor Nisha (Nishantini Amir), Illustrations Team Naveen (Nityanandan Paramisivam) and Raji, (Rajalaxmi Rajendrasingh ) Copy Editor Aravind Kannankara, Acquisitions Editor Riley Harding, Mackenzie Thompson Editorial Assistant, and Christine O'Connor, Managing Editor.

These Art institutions gave us the right to use artworks that are in their collections or they represent the professional artists whose artworks are featured: Lisa Ballard—Artists Rights Society New York; Jennifer Belt—Associate Permission Director, Art Resource; Boston Museum of Fine Arts; Chicago Art Institute; Grace Pamperien and Jennifer Martino—Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas; Collections Information Specialist Ama Iromuanya—Dallas Museum of Arts; Jessica Herczeg-Konecny, Digital Asset Manager—Detroit Institute of the Arts; Christa Barleben—The Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis; Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, Santa Fe; Getty Trust; Liz Lumpkin—Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Missouri; Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria; Marty Stein—The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Margareth Verbakel—M.C. Escher Trust, Netherlands; Peter Huestis—National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Stacey L. Sherman—Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri; Conna Clark—Philadelphia Museum of Fine Arts; Saint Louis Art Museum; registrar Richard Sorensen—Smithsonian American Art Museum,.

The Art Teachers Survival Guide for Elementary and Middle Schools, Third Edition features many exciting new components! This book is beautifully enhanced with full-color museum photos as well as full-color student artworks. It also includes many reproducible copyright-free handouts for teachers to use such as Safety in the Art Room, Public Relations, Elements and Principles of Design, and current up-to-date information from the National Art Education Association.

Written by two art educators with experience at elementary and middle school, high school and university, it offers fully updated projects for today's students. Ten chapters offer a spectrum of projects in two- and three-dimensional art, using a wide variety of media.

In discussion with teachers at all levels, we find that elementary teachers introduce basic art materials to students and the classroom routine from day one. Many students who enter kindergarten may have already been using crayons at home and in pre-schools. By now, they may be somewhat tired of crayons, markers, and Play-Doh. It is up to you to introduce them to the potential in these and other materials. What a privilege! Delightful work from lower elementary students may be a result of just turning them loose to experiment and finding what they can do with paint. Young students may not yet know how to create art on the computer or research, but count on it, they will be learning.

Research has shown that creating art increases right-brain (intuitive) thinking and helps develop problem-solving ability. We also mustn't lose sight of teaching “art for art's sake.” Children still deserve to experience one of the joys of childhood, the feeling of accomplishment when creating something beautiful. And all children's art is beautiful! Perhaps it could be better with a little more time spent on it, and the next effort could be an improvement, but children deserve the opportunity to create and have their efforts appreciated.

Eventually you have the opportunity to introduce them to what is happening in today's art world. Help them learn about artists and art created in other times and cultures. Unlike the arts, most state assessment systems require the annual testing of students in reading/language arts, mathematics, and science. Some also require this in each of the fine arts departments. Although fine arts are not always required to be tested, check to see if yours is one of many states in the USA that has elected to write its own Grade Level Expectations in Fine Arts. Up-to-date information and planning sheets from the National Art Education Association are included in Chapter 2.

This book emphasizes the importance of teaching all the students coming into the art room, with specific suggestions for teaching students with special needs, including those with autism, visual and hearing impairment, developmental disabilities, motor impairment, social/emotional needs, and gifted students. Benchmarks for student skills at each grade level are given to help the art teacher with student assessment.

The authors include a look at TAB (Teaching Artistic Behavior), sometimes referred to as Choice-Based Art Education. Many projects are written to encourage individual creativity. Curriculum connections, adaptations for younger students, and alternative projects are often included with a lesson. Rich historical and cultural information is woven into every lesson with background information for the teacher. Many practical tips are offered to set the art teacher up for success, ranging from displaying student artwork to setting up technology in the art room.