Effort with student teacher
earns honor for educator
Pine Brook School’s
Lisa Csatari tapped
by Rutgers department
By dave benjamin
Staff Writer
DAVE BENJAMIN Pine Brook School, Manalapan, teacher Lisa Csatari (r) is honored by her former teaching intern Briana Druckman (c) and Molly Dugan, associate director of teacher education, Rutgers University, with a Partners in Education: 2002 Distinguished Cooperating Teaching Award.
MANALAPAN — A teacher at the Pine Brook School, Pease Road, has been honored by her peers in the field of education.
The Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District Board of Education announced that the Office of Teacher Education at Rutgers University, in conjunction with their teaching interns, has selected Lisa Csatari to receive one of three Partners in Education: 2002 Distinguished Cooperating Teaching Awards.
"We asked the students [student teachers] to submit a letter addressing their cooperating teacher’s teaching skills, commitment to preparing the next generation of teachers, dedication to student achievement and personal commitment to the intern," wrote Molly Dugan, associate director of teacher education, Rutgers University, in a letter to Pine Brook Principal Thomas Sherman.
"We are pleased to announce that Lisa Csatari is one of the three award winners," Dugan wrote.
Dugan said teaching intern Briana Druckman of Manalapan, who was assigned to Csatari’s class for the fall term, wrote a compelling letter regarding her cooperating teacher’s commitment and high expectations for her students.
On March 6, Dugan and Druckman met at Pine Brook School with Superintendent of Schools Maureen Lally, Sherman and Donald Colbert, assistant principal, to present the award to Csatari.
Sherman told the children in Csatari’s class that their teacher had been selected for the honor.
Dugan told the children about the importance of the classroom experience, not only for them, but also for the student teacher who is learning to become a teacher and one day may stand before his or her own class.
Druckman read her nominating letter to the class.
"The student teaching experience can either reaffirm your commitment to the profession or make you question if this is the right field for you," said Druckman.
"My student teaching experience has given me the confidence, the knowledge, and the hands-on training necessary to embrace the profession and succeed on my own. She [Csatari] has treated me as a professional and an equal. Her classroom became my classroom, and my goals became her goals."
Druckman said Csatari taught her the value of having the children solve their own problems, encouraging them to become effective problem solvers.
She observed the frustration, the determination and eventually the satisfaction that her students experienced when attempting to solve their own problems.
She explained that she felt the students’ sense of self-worth soaring when they were given the opportunity to test the limits of their own capabilities.
She said Csatari taught her how to balance the difficult tasks of being mother, teacher, nurturer and disciplinarian in a dignified, respectable way.
Druckman praised Csatari as being an intelligent person with creative, interactive approaches to education, and she noted that no lesson was ever taught without a real-life comparison.
"I distinctly remember the two of us circling around a dark room, demonstrating with a globe and an overhead projector the way the solar system works," said Druckman.
"Lisa has also allowed me the freedom I needed to grow as an educator. She would help me plan my lessons, offering suggestions and any materials that might be helpful, but when it came time for me to teach I was on my own.
"Most of the time I flew," said Druckman, "but in the event that I didn’t, she was always around to offer suggestions and constructive criticism.
"There were many occasions in which we talked late into the night about lessons, individual children, my upcoming job search and educational practices," she said.
"There have been many nights when Lisa has stayed at the school well past 6 p.m. She has taught me the value of giving children choice in what occurs in the classroom. She established a democratic atmosphere in the classroom and she willingly admits when she has made a mistake. The children respect her immensely," Druckman said.
"When I stop and think about Lisa, I have to take a deep breath. She is the kind of teacher that I strive to be and the kind of person that I hope to be. She is a teacher in many respects of the word. She is supportive and dependable to all who come in contact with her and she has changed my view of teaching forever. Lisa has proven to be an exceptional mentor and friend," Druckman said.
Sherman also praised Csatari, saying, "When entering Lisa’s class, it’s always an adventure. Students are smiling, engaged, and highly motivated. Lisa is very involved in extracurricular activities. Her students know that she will always be at events that take place after school. She is dedicated to doing all she can do for them. Her classroom atmosphere can be described as a second family for the students."
Sherman said Csatari stays current in new teaching techniques and was chosen from all of the teachers in the district to develop a video showing proper procedures for a writer’s workshop.
"I was basically doing my job as all the other teachers in the district would be doing. I feel it’s an honor," said Csatari, a resident of Red Bank.
"I am very very pleased that my students were there to witness this because it’s very good to see people honored for their work."