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Mr. Berrodin has been teaching for over 25 years. He teaches art classes at AHS, including Photography, Sculpture, and AP Art.
Before Mr. Berrodin was a teacher, he worked as a practicing artist and ran a few businesses. However, when he started his family, that changed: “I wanted to find a way to give more of myself and my time to my kids. Teaching made sense. I took a class that involved working with children, and after seeing the impact I could have, I was all in.” It’s great to find something that you truly enjoy doing.
When asked about his favorite part of teaching at Aurora, he stated, “Aurora truly values the arts. But more than that, I love watching students push past their expectations and create something meaningful.” I can most definitely agree that Aurora appreciates all things art, with many students being very creative.
Mr. Berrodin explains how it’s hard for him to pick just one memory at AHS that he looks back at as his favorite: “What sticks with me most is the laughter and the day-to-day moments— Open Studio parties, intramural volleyball, trips to the Columbus Art Show, seeing students develop and gain, watching them grow.” The art program here at Aurora creates a great community.
Each student leaves their impact on the classes, making them memorable: “I often come across student work, or when I walk past a mural, it brings back the wonderful memories I have with those students.” This further shows the type of community Aurora has surrounding the arts.
Mr. Berrodin with past students working on the murals at AHS
For Mr. Berrodin’s academic and career background, he explains, “I have a BFA in Fine Arts, a Master of Arts in Teaching, and a second Master’s in Educational Technology. I also ran businesses and started a restaurant.” Overall, he has kept himself busy.
“I enjoy all my classes for different reasons, but AP Art stands out. It challenges students to think and work like professional artists,” he describes. He also adds that this class involves a deeper level of intention as well as problem-solving, which are both things he enjoys helping students with.
Of course, Mr Berrodin enjoys doing some art projects outside of school. In addition to art, he explains other things he enjoys doing: “Spending time with my family, going on hikes sometimes in the mountains, exploring new places, and building or making things.”
He explains a couple of things that his students may not know about him: “I have three kids, I used to be a gymnast, I accidentally burned down my house once, and I’m currently building an indoor RC micro-crawler course.” Mr. Berrodin is always up to something interesting.
Mr. Berrodin states that his best teaching quality is empathy: “I believe in my students and want them to succeed. I push them, support them, and give them the tools to reach their goals. I try to be someone they can rely on.” Empathy includes the ability to understand and sympathize with another person. This must be easy to do as an art teacher. A lot of art pieces involve some type of emotion.
All in all, Mr. Berrodin is an empathetic art teacher here at AHS. He cares a lot for his students and pushes them to do the best they can.
Written by: Natalie Magdics
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