ADAM BERNARD

At the Elementary School, you can't escape hearing "Hi Mr. B!!" wherever you go. Mr. Bernard might be a favorite teacher, but he didn’t start his career as one. His passion for art, mixed with happenstance, is what brought him to education, and he has never looked back since.

When did you discover your passion for art?

As a child, my dad used to bring home his blueprints from work. And he’d turned them over and on the back it was plain. So, I would start making comic books from these, cutting them up. I’d be drawing things like vehicles mostly, over and over again. And I just tried to work more than my dad could keep up with. So it was almost like a competition. And this was a constant throughout my childhood. Drawing was my way of making sense of the world, I think. And it was also my way of communicating. Rather than through language, I prefer to communicate ideas and thoughts through drawing. And I turned this into a career by working as an illustrator for 15 years before I became a teacher.

And how did you become a teacher?

We moved overseas as a family, and I had to leave my illustration career behind. So, I started volunteering actually, in a museum. And that's where it started. I started teaching workshops, and doing outreach with the local community. And at that point, I was asked if I would consider becoming a full time professional teacher. It wasn't really the way that I imagined my career path would go, but actually, most of the time, if I say yes to opportunities, it normally works out quite well. And I'm really glad I did.

When did you realize that teaching was actually something you enjoy doing?

I think straight away. My first job was quite challenging. We were in an environment where we had a lot of students that had individual needs, and that in itself was a brilliant challenge. I think art provided many people an opportunity that's maybe outside of the normal academic framework, where they could show their individuality. And I realized that it's actually nice to just celebrate individuals with that creative expression, and motivation and confidence seem to be intertwined. I felt, if we can build the confidence, then the motivation will follow. And, yeah, that was my formula.

You've had two careers at this point, as an illustrator, and as a teacher. Do you consider yourself a teacher now?

Oh, 100%, absolutely. I feel like my earlier career was really preparation for this.

So how do you use your background as an artist to engage and inspire your students?

I like to draw upon examples of people I know. For example, a good friend of mine, Richard Johnson, is an artist and awardwinning children's author. I love to use his artwork and read his story books, and then explain the connections to make it feel a bit more real. And also, I love to join in and draw and be part of the activities. So rather than always being sort of teaching from the front, I like to be involved with the art making activities.

Do you still create art outside of the classroom? Just for yourself?

I do. I've got a little studio space. I did this collaborative project with colleagues of mine from university, we reconnected during COVID. And we had weekly challenges, it was just the most wonderful. We all gave each other critiques each Sunday. I love the old masters, but I like to put a postmodern kind of twist on that sort of thing.

Can you share a story or an experience that had an impact on you as a teacher?

I had a student that got accepted for Parsons Art School in New York, and she had only been learning art for two years. She was remarkable, she had overcome language barriers, parental expectations, academic attainment difficulties, and I discovered that after all, this child had grown up with no art in her curriculum. She absolutely loved it. And she would be working on her balcony, because her parents didn't let her do art inside the apartment. She actually began to do surrealist ceramics. And it was just such a unique thing. I think because she came at it later than most children, she hadn't been pre-formatted. She was a sort of blank canvas, so to speak. And my role was only about keeping her on track and keeping her motivated. That was one of the great success stories.

That's fantastic. How do you guide and support your students in overcoming obstacles and realizing their artistic potential?

First of all, it's identifying what the obstacles might be. So fortunately, I'm in my second year now in elementary school, and I've got to know the students much better. And in the classroom, we've got what we call the “help desk”. They've all got assigned tables, but students can volunteer to come in, if they want extra help, or a chance to catch up. I can give them close guidance, as well as working the room and helping out. Trying to preempt roadblocks before they happen might be one of the ways but also understanding that art is a process of iterations and trying to isolate where the problem might be, instead of ripping something up and starting again, it's to try and be a little bit be critical thinkers and and give the students the tools they need to identify where they might be able to improve in their work and what they can do to move it forward.

Do you think it's possible to recognize artistic potential in a young child?

Definitely. Every child has artistic potential. It's not something we're born with, I believe, it's a learnable skill. And I think that with the curriculum we offer here, it gives every child an opportunity to be successful.

What would you tell parents to encourage them to develop their child's imagination and artistic sense?

I think having drawing materials in a location where the child can freely access it when they want, on their terms, is very important. And I think that's what really worked for me. So many children go to evening classes, and I think that works for them. Whatever it is, I think just allowing the child those opportunities to play. Creativity should be playful. And I think that's really important. That's when the good stuff can come out. If the child is obsessed with Pokemon, just let them keep drawing pokemons. That's okay. They're still learning elements of art. So whatever their particular interest is, let them go with it, and they'll move on when it's time.