Her Story
Nancy Berry grew up facing adversity and abuse, and carried out of that childhood a fierce determination to prove herself capable and worthy — and to make sure no child in her care ever doubted the same about themselves. She married her childhood sweetheart, Jon Berry, and it was Jon and their two young sons who, ten years after she finished high school, told her it was time to chase the dream she’d carried since girlhood: to become a teacher. The family made it a team effort, and Berry graduated with high distinction from Indiana University at Kokomo before taking a first-grade position at Franklin Elementary School in Logansport, Indiana.
In August 1974, Berry’s classroom became “Berryland, U.S.A.” — not a decorating theme, but a whole educational philosophy made physical: terrariums of frogs and lizards, incubators of hatching duck eggs, an insect tent thick with caterpillars and butterfly chrysalises, and a running cast of imaginary classroom characters (Mikey the bald eagle, Charlotte the elephant, Georgie the elf) who reinforced lessons in listening, calm, and courtesy. She built her own “Berry Coded Discipline” system, her own personalized spelling program, and an “Empathetic Creative Writing” curriculum, all grounded in the conviction that a first grader could master content far beyond what anyone expected of six-year-olds.
Berry earned her Master’s in Elementary Education in 1979 and spent the following two decades as one of Indiana’s most sought-after presenters, eventually speaking in 46 of the 50 states before scaling back her national travel because it took time away from her own classroom. In 1997, her superintendent asked her to take over as principal of Columbia Elementary, a lower-income school of nearly 60% free-lunch students that had struggled through several difficult years. Though she didn’t yet hold her principal’s license, Berry accepted, earned the certification within the year, and set about rebuilding the school’s culture from the ground up — all while still teaching creative writing in every classroom herself.
Beyond the Classroom
Berry’s community involvement reads like a second full-time job layered onto teaching and, later, a principalship. She has served for years on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters, recruiting “Local Heroes” into her school to mentor students known affectionately as “Stars.” She is an active member of the Cass County Kiwanis, which funds clothing, shoes, glasses, dental work, and hearing aids for children whose families can’t afford them, and she has led her students in adopting a senior-citizen complex for monthly visits — carving pumpkins in October, singing carols in December, building snowmen in January.
Her classroom’s community partnerships extended into the schools’ Big Brothers/Big Sisters programs, Boy and Girl Scout troops, and a standing collaboration with the local hospital’s Arbor Unit, where her students read to recovering patients and helped weed the hospital’s gardens. At Columbia Elementary, she has organized a Parent and Teachers Organization focused on building the neighborhood’s first playground, in a low-income area that had none.
Perhaps most telling is what Berry does with grief and loss. When a former student named Tricia, who had survived a childhood brain tumor only to relapse years later, died the summer after finishing Berry’s class, Berry delivered her eulogy and organized the planting of a memorial tree outside her classroom window — a tree she says still reminds her students that dreams are real and life should be lived fully.
Philosophy Into Practice
Berry describes herself first and always as a “child advocate,” a phrase she traces to the Prayer of St. Francis, which she adopted as a personal mission before she knew there was a name for such a thing. Central to her teaching is a written promise she made to her students years ago and still repeats: that she will remember every child who passes through her room, by name and by need, for the rest of her life.
“I’ll Remember Your Children: I’ll remember your children. I won’t lose any of them. All of your children have dreams and secrets. All have surprises and talents… I will do all that I can to help, nurture, and care for your children. And I promise not to forget…to remember your children.”— Nancy Berry, Philosophy of Teaching
Berry’s classroom management runs on positive reinforcement rather than punishment — a heat-sensitive “magic fish” that curls in a child’s palm to prove they’re “smart,” four simple rules built around the Golden Rule, and constant celebration of mastery rather than comparison between students. She calls behavior “like a shirt; it can be changed” — separating misbehavior from a child’s worth so that no student is ever made to feel unworthy of the room.
“We must celebrate diversity, who we are, and the whole process of teaching and learning, not just for our students for ourselves… Every child must feel special and unique.”— Nancy Berry, Philosophy of Teaching
In Her Own Words
“I lived through a lot of adversity in my childhood and struggled a lot, so I don’t take anything for granted. I perceive and trust that all life situations regardless if they are good or bad as learning experiences and life lessons.”— Who Are You
“In August 1974, my classroom, Berryland, U.S.A. became my dream come true. My goal was to have each and every day to be an exciting experience for all my children.”— Professional Biography
“I love what I do, and do what I love; that is making a positive difference in children’s lives.”— Who Are You
“Even though I did not have my principal’s license, I accepted this challenge. I wanted to make a positive difference in 375 lives.”— Professional Biography
“We spend much of our time together seeking for or experimenting with new exciting projects. We all have fun; it is multiplied several times because it is for ‘Grandma’s Kids.’ The pleasure and benefits we receive are always more than what we give.”— Outside the Classroom
What Others Said
“Mrs. Berry’s ‘Berryland’ is sure to remain in my memory forever. She loved kids, and she loved teaching, and it showed in the smile that lit up the room… ‘Once a Berry, Always a Berry!'”— Emily VanDyke, Nominator
“Nancy Berry believed in me not only as a student, but also as a person… Mrs. Nancy Berry is the person who has truly inspired me to become a teacher.”— Brett Miller, Former Student
“I have often said that I am a good teacher, but Nancy is gifted. I believe that what she has is a special gift from God, and that she uses that gift wisely.”— Carol Muehlhausen, Teaching Colleague
“Samuel is autistic, and when Nancy took him into her class… she gave him the self confidence he needed to be as successful in school as he is today. The magic, I came to learn, was not in Nancy’s formula for teaching. It was Nancy herself.”— Debra J. Rivard, Parent
“I am extremely pleased to recommend Nancy Berry for induction into the National Teacher’s Hall of Fame. Mrs. Berry is truly an outstanding educator… a bright, articulate, visionary education leader.”— Dr. Jerry L. Thacker, Superintendent, Logansport Community School Corporation
“Were I to name one person that truly emulates the art of teaching, that person would be Nancy Berry. I only wish that each boy and girl in America had the unique opportunity and blessing to have been in Mrs. Berry’s class.”— William Tincher, School Board Trustee
“Mrs. Berry is also a ‘risk-taker.’ As to the many changes in the field of education that have come and gone over the years of her experiences, Nancy has been a pioneer in many of these.”— Bob Barrett, Principal, Franklin Elementary School