Talk About Loyalty: Jennifer Bierman Teaching at Brunswick for 13 years
By Cooper DeSimpelaere, BEAT reporter
BRUNSWICK, OH- Jennifer Bierman has been a teacher in Brunswick for 13 years, runs two extracurricular activities, and is the 2018 Teacher of the Year. She loves watching her students grow and then come back for the senior walkthrough.
Miss Bierman currently teaches at Memorial Elementary in Brunswick. She has been there for 12 years. Bierman had taught 4th grade English Language Arts (ELA) since 2015, but was recently moved to 5th grade to teach Math for the 2025-26 school year. Previously, Bierman co-taught in a Memorial 3rd grade classroom with fellow Memorial educator Annemarie Hayest. Also, she subbed around the Brunswick School District the year prior.
Bierman runs two extracurricular activities: Science Club and MBS News. Science Club is an after-school club that teaches students how to advocate for the planet with hands-on activities and DIY creations. “It is a fun social time with classmates, middle schoolers, and high school students,” she said. “I love seeing all the students interact with each other, becoming friends, and just hanging out with everyone after school.” MBS News, on the other hand, is a before-school club exclusively for 5th graders. This is the club that produces the school announcements for the whole school to watch.
Bierman loves her students and that's one of her favorite parts about teaching. She loves getting to know her students and their passions. Bierman knows that some subjects are tough for some students. “But if I can help a student find one subject or something that interests them or help them discover something amazing about themselves, that is my favorite thing about teaching,” she explained.
Bierman has won numerous awards throughout her teaching career, including the 2018 Teacher of the Year and multiple “B for Excellence” awards. She enjoys it more when she is nominated for the B for Excellence awards by students and their family members, along with her fellow staff members. Bierman is very humbled about winning these awards and does not take them for granted.
Bierman attended Malone University in Canton, OH, for her undergraduate degree. The education program had her in the classroom starting her freshman year, teaching lessons or whatever her teacher wanted her to do. “I really liked that about the program because it really helped college students realize if they wanted to be a teacher or not,” Bierman stated. Then, she took online classes at Bowling Green University for her Master's degree.
Bierman has had multiple role models in her life to inspire her to start teaching. Her mom was a second-grade teacher at Applewood Elementary in Brunswick. Bierman would go to work with her mom and help her out in the classroom. “I enjoyed going on field trips with her class in addition to helping her students with all subjects,” Bierman said.
Bierman said she had other teachers that she looked up to and helped her know that she wanted to be a teacher when she grew up. These teachers were her 5th grade science teacher, Douglas Fischer, 8th grade ELA teacher, Steven Sprunger, and her high school marching band teachers.
Bierman loves watching kids come back as seniors for the walkthrough. She also enjoys when high school kids come back as volunteers for her extracurricular activities. Bierman explained, “I love seeing kids grow as leaders.”
Cooper DeSimpelaere, Brunswick Middle School, is one of over fifty student “backpack journalists” (grades 6-12) in the award-winning BEAT Video Program. The program, celebrating its 25th year, is sponsored by Donut Land, Plum Creek Assisted Living Community, MODA Gifts, Scripps Howard Foundation and the Brunswick Rotary Club. Go to https://www.bcsoh.org/community/new-beat-site to learn more about the Program, or visit https://thebeat.viebit.com/?folder=ALL to view videos produced by the students.
PHOTOS: Bierman with students.