Bloomfield Teacher of the Year

Mairead Chern, the Fairview Elementary School Teacher of the Year, has also been named Bloomfield Public School Teacher of the Year.

A language arts interventionist, Chern is Bloomfield born and raised, graduating from Bloomfield High School, in 1991. She lived on East Passaic Avenue. (Her given name is Gallic and her parents were born in Ireland.)

She attended West Chester University in Pennsylvania, earning her bachelor’s degree in elementary education, and her teaching certification.

She has a masters in reading from Montclair State University where she was certified as a reading teacher and specialist, and also received her supervisor’s certificate. Teaching began to interest her as a professional while at BHS.

“I took a class at the high school called ‘Exploring Childhood.’ I think it’s there,” she said. “They’d bring in children; it was a preschool program. A couple of days a week we’d listen to the teacher, Joanne Hessinger. She was great. She’d supervised us as we dealt with the children.”

Looking ahead to college, Chern said she knew West Chester had a strong teaching program.

“It’s good going into college knowing what you want to do,” she added.

After graduation, Chern taught second grade at Berkeley Elementary School. The principal, Sal Goncalves, the current superintendent, moved her to first grade.
“I was at Berkeley for a total of 12 years,” she said.

She left to have a child.

“My daughter, Lislie, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2006,” she said. “Everybody in Bloomfield rallied.”

She said there were rallies for her daughter in Bloomfield and elsewhere — in Nutley where her husband is a teacher, Scotch Plains, where they live and Clark, where her mother-in-law lives.

“The people in Scotch Plains organized a walk,” she continued. “Bloomfield brought bus loads down. In 2007, she turned one. Now she’s 19 and fine.”

Grace and Molly are Chern’s two other children. Her husband is Chris.

“After all this happened, I stayed home for eight years,” she said. “I returned to the district in 2018 and have been at Fairview since then.”

About reading, Chern said there are some children for whom reading comes naturally.

“They pick things up the first time,” she said. “But some kids need a lot of exposure to learn their letter sounds and names. They have weaker foundation skills no matter how hard they try. I have to find a way to get through to them. Even with parental support, some have a hard time breaking the code. My job is finding out what’s blocking them when they’re struggling in front of me. Are they guessing at the words? Do they know the sounds?”

Repetition is key, Chern said. Say the word and then circle back often, moving forward once the foundation is solid.

There were several notable learning experiences Chern said helped her develop as a reading teacher.

“In 2018, when I first got to Fairview, Kristy Arnold, the district supervisor of ELA, had a woman come in,” she said. “Her name was Judy Shapiro. She trained all the interventionists in multi-sensory reading instruction. Children would see the word, hear it, maybe even feel it. They’re using all their senses to help things stick in the brain.”

In 2022, she said Arnold found a 30-hour virtual training course called Orton Gillingham Structured Literacy. Chern said it was a game-changer for her.

“I like nice structure,” she said. “This targeted all areas of reading — phonics, comprehension and phonological awareness, fluidity and vocabulary. These lessons were structured to hit all areas. I loved the structure so much, I jumped at the opportunity to do a full-year practicum where I studied the Orton Gillingham method. Now I’m certified and have taught a few classes at the Bloomfield Teacher’s Academy.”

In announcing the award. Goncalves said that Chern embodies the qualities that make the district special.

“Her passion for teaching, creative approach to lessons, and ability to connect with students are truly inspiring,” he said. “Let’s all take a moment to celebrate Ms. Chern and her colleagues, the educational staff, and the teachers of the year for each building for their contributions to our students and our schools.”
But accolades aside, what does Chern read for pleasure?

“I find myself always reading about reading,” she said. “Maybe I should step away from it, but I’m very curious. If I’m doing something wrong, I want to get it right. Maybe I should read for pleasure, but I do that during the summer.”

  bloomfield, Fairview Elementary School, Teacher of the Year