Each week through our Faculty/Staff Spotlight series, we invite our community members to get to know Gulliver Prep teachers and staff members across every division. This week, our Spotlight features Ms. Karen Crimarco, Primary School Faculty member. Read on to learn about her first year at Gulliver Prep so far, what inspires her to teach Primary School, and more.
Q: This is your first year at Gulliver Prep. What do you love most about our school so far?
A: Working at Gulliver Prep has been a dream come true for me. Coming from a smaller school, it is overwhelming (in a good way!) to see all the resources and opportunities available at Gulliver. I love all the support that Gulliver provides for its teachers. Everyone is so nice and has been so helpful as I navigate my first year here.
Q: What is something people may not know about you?
A: People might not know that a hobby of mine is cake decorating. I don’t love the baking part, but creating with fondant and buttercream is super fun!
Q: Have you always taught Primary School? What inspired you to teach this age group?
A: While I was going through college, I got the advice to switch my degree from early childhood education to elementary education because they felt that the former would limit my options and the latter would provide me with more opportunities. I stuck with early childhood education because I knew that I wanted to teach the little ones. Research shows that the early years are the most important years in a child’s development. While in college, I worked at various places with toddlers and preschoolers and one very memorable year with fourth graders. I did my teaching internship in a kindergarten class, and I knew that was the age group for me! Kindergarten is where my heart is, and I have taught this age group for the past 10 years.
Q: What do you enjoy about teaching Primary School students?
A: Primary students are so much fun to teach! They love coming to school and learning new things at this age, and they get excited about everything. I also love seeing the immense growth that children experience in their primary years. In SK, children come in working on the alphabet and leave as readers and writers! I recently got a new perspective on this age group as a parent. My children, Ari and Ethan, are five and six years old. Last year I got to teach Ari in my kindergarten class, and this year Ethan is in kindergarten.
Q: What is one strategy you have for keeping your students engaged in learning?
A: I like to focus on connection before content. I try to build relationships with my students and create a classroom family where students have agency. Forming relationships and giving students ownership of their learning will make them more engaged.
Raider Rapid Fire!
Favorite spot on campus: The North Playground
Go-to Starbucks order: Caramel ribbon crunch frap
Favorite local restaurant: The Melting Pot
A movie you could watch over and over: Elf
