She knows the art of teaching

District 24 can now boast a nationally recognized art teacher, with Jane Berzner honored by the National Art Educators Association. Berzner is the 2010 elementary art educator of the year for the Eastern Region which stretches from Virginia to Maine and includes part of Canada.

She teaches at the Brooklyn Avenue and William L. Buck schools. She was nominated by Jessica Bayer, chairperson of the art department in the Hewlett-Woodmere School District. They belong to the New York State Art Teachers Association, are both past presidents and travel to many board meetings and conferences together.

Berzner said she happened to be on the phone with Bayer when she checked her e-mail and found out she won. “When I received the letter I got the award, I was amazed,” Berzner said. “I was very excited. The competition has to be great.”

A decade ago, Berzner won the New York State Arts Educator of the Year award, where she was selected from 10 regional recipients.

She began her teaching career at Hewlett-Woodmere Middle School in 1973, then moved on to the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District where she taught the first ceramics class at John F. Kennedy High School. Her first elementary school gig was at Burns Avenue School in Hicksville in 1985. Berzner then came to Valley Stream a year later and has been with District 24 ever since. As one of two art teachers in the district, she has taught at all three elementary schools during her 24 years.

Berzner talked about the importance of having a well-rounded art program. She begins working with students when they are in first-grade and tries to develop their skills and creativity. Those students experiment with collages, painting, drawing, ceramics and sculpture. “We’ll use as many different medias with them as we can,” she said.

Crayons and markers, Berzner said, are rarely used in her classroom.

Her lessons often are connected to what students are learning in their regular classes. The sixth-graders study ancient Egypt, so Berzner has them sketch gods and pharaohs in a piece of scratch board. She also uses that topic as a way to teach students about how important art is to many cultures. “We learned so much about the ancient Egyptian culture through what they left behind,” she said, adding that cavemen started drawing because they didn’t have a written language but wanted to their history documented.

Art with patterns and shapes relates to math, Berzner explained. And to tie into English Language Arts, she will often have students draw a picture and write a caption.

Art often makes the connection for a student who is struggling to grasp a concept, Berzner explained. “My philosophy is that children learn in different modalities,” she said, “and sometimes things become more apparent to them by working it through the arts.”

Bayer said she nominated Berzner because she epitomizes Elementary Art Educator of the Year. “Her students are introduced to a wide array of materials and techniques,” Bayer said. “She embeds the study of art history and makes cultural connections in many of her lessons. In doing so she enhances literacy and learning across the core curriculum. She is the ‘go to’ person for all special projects in her district and is an energetic advocate for visual art education.”

Some projects are mainstays in Berzner’s curriculum. Every year, first-graders made candlesticks out of clay around the holidays and also do a teddy bear sewing project. Fifth-graders create oaxacan animals in which they make a sculpture out of wooden pieces, paint it a solid color and then draw lines and patterns on their animal.

Several times, as a PTA fundraiser, Berzner has had the students draw pictures and parents can order items such as mugs, tote bags or aprons with the drawing on it. Every parent gets a magnet with the artwork for free.

Berzner has had numerous artists visit her classes. One of the best experiences, she said, was when a children’s author and illustrator came in and actually used some of the students’ artwork for a future book.

She does it all despite teaching art from a cart at the William L. Buck School, visiting her students in their rooms. Her own space there is a supply closet. At the Brooklyn Avenue School, she does have her own classroom but is smaller than a typical one.

Through her involvement with the state Art Teachers Association, Berzner said she gets to give back to her profession. She also said is important for her to be involved with an organization that fights to keep art in the schools.

“Lots of times we’re considered the frills or the fluff,” she said. “I need to know that children will have art. It’s so important for them to have that creative outlet.”

Berzner noted that there are so many professions which require art skills. That is why the federal No Child Left Behind Act considers art a part of the core curriculum.

A Woodmere resident, Berzner has been married to her husband, Bob, since 1972. She has a daughter, Laurie, 33 and a son, Josh, 30. Berzner also has a 4-year-old grandson, Michael, and two dogs and a cat.

Her bachelor’s degree is from C.W. Post and she holds master’s degrees from Hofstra and Stony Brook University.

Superintendent Dr. Edward Fale said it is an honor to have Berzner on the staff and she is very deserving of the award. “Mrs. Berzner is a highly dedicated, enthusiastic, talented and creative art teacher,” Fale said. “She continually inspires her students to reach high levels of success. We are pleased and proud that she is in our district.”

For Berzner, the biggest reward as a teacher is when a student suddenly “gets it.” She tries to create a relaxed atmosphere and encourages the children to talk to each other about their art projects while working.

“I love to see them create, to think about what they’re doing,” she said. “I don’t want them to feel like they’re taking a test in my room. I want them to feel like they’re expressing themselves.”