Retro Rumson Artsy Elementary Teacher Appreciation

It’s elementary — teacher appreciation. And there’s an art to elementary teaching — or teaching art to elementary school kids.

It’s so elementary that we’re taking the appreciation all the way back to pretty close to the start with some appreciation for one of those who was the namesake for what is now and has been for decades Deane-Porter Elementary School in Rumson.

Among the archives of the Red Bank Register was a photo of Laura Deane, who was, in 1967, principal of Deane-Porter. In the photo, Deane is being honored by the Rumson Education Association for her 40 years of teaching in Rumson schools.

Deane was a kindergarten teacher, starting in Rumson in 1927 with giving Rumson students their educational start. She became principal of the school that became partially her namesake in 1964.

There are some out there who had Deane as a kindergarten teacher. Those were the days when it was acceptable for a woman to teach. Really. And since Deane was a Miss at roughly 65 as of this printing, we’re guessing that she was never married, devoting her life to her career.

In those days, more often than not, women were forced to choose or not be hired if the husband didn’t approve or administration thought she may leave to raise a family. People tend to forget how limiting careers were for women back in the day, much less a 40-year career as a single woman, no less, and one who became a principal and school namesake, no less.

So, bravo, Laura Deane! Any kindergarten students out there, do tell us how she taught you well.

And, as with any teaching there’s an art to it and we’re digressing here with a little trip down the halls of Deane’s school to the 80s and a kindergarten teacher who got artsy with the kids in a pre-kindergarten summer course designed to reduce kindergarten anxiety. That was Bob Friscia. Anyone have Bob for class?

And Bob likely took some of his arts lead from, of course, the district’s art teacher, Barbara Stender. Anyone learn a crafty art technique or several from Stender. After all, it’s elementary — that first stroke of arts instinct and talent. It often starts at an early age at the creative hands of an art teacher.

In the Register staff photos of Friscia and Stender, they’re teaching at a summer enrichment program at Deane-Porter.

There are likely some artists out there who had one or the other or both as a teacher. Lesson learned?

The real lesson is that the teachings of the arts and early elementary schooling can be seeds to success.

A truth, though, is that the Rumson-Fair Haven area schools have been gifted with some spectacularly creative art teachers who gave a little, or a lot, of their gift of art to their students.

Beyond the halls of Deane-Porter and over to RFH and Fair Haven schools, who remembers the best of art and kindergarten teachers?

We have no pictures of this one bit of an icon, but she is remembered, that’s for sure … she was brash, covered in paint, not keen on anything cutesy and known for some mean anecdotes … Mrs. Magnotta! Who remembers that gem? I tell ya, I learned how to draw a tree in pastels pretty well from her — out of sheer terror!

How about, of course, Suzanne Parmley at RFH?

How about those art teachers of the ’80s and ’90s?

buy coffee! Keep r-fh retro going!