Collegiate Honors Karen Cribbs for Excellence

 

Aristotle, the great Greek philosopher, is attributed to saying, "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts." This feels most apropos when thinking about teaching and the many responsibilities and tasks that teachers are charged with to help make learning a meaningful and enriching endeavor. Not only is that list overwhelming, but it does not equate to the positive impact that is created from masterful teaching. And when you walk by this teacher's classroom, you start to feel that things just naturally add up.

 

For some students, the world of mathematical thinking is a place of comfort. Solving complex problems through varied steps that build skill upon skill is like opening doors to a magical kingdom of thinking. For some students, navigating this world can feel like being dropped in an endless maze that creates heart palpitations at irregular intervals. And for all of the other students, their sentiments ebb and flow based on the time and day, especially in Middle School.

 

How does a successful math teacher solve this problem? Instead of just walking by Karen Cribb's classroom, stop in for a visit to realize that her students are all confident and capable mathematicians for a reason.

 

It all starts like basic arithmetic for Karen: purposefully add great lesson planning, plus creative problem solving, plus truly caring about student progress, plus building trusting relationships, and this will undoubtedly equal a wonderful teaching and learning environment. Students continue to engage in her class because they have been scaffolded to do so, and they will always have the support and expectation to learn and grow.

 

Karen masterfully blends holding on to the values and principles of time-tested teaching math, but she always stretches herself pedagogically to test the limits of meaningful learning. From being a very early adopter of using the iPad in conjunction with Schoology and other teaching apps to creating clever standards-based grading approaches, we often find ourselves in meetings saying to each other, "Let's go learn more from Karen."

 

A colleague who will sit down and talk shop about math, teaching and students at any time of day, she is also a leader who unselfishly gives her time and energy to others despite the stack of work that lies ahead of a teacher and department chair. Just like with her students, Karen makes us colleagues believe in ourselves.

 

A teacher like Karen can make us all feel like we can solve for sine, cosine and tangent without a calculator. An exemplary teacher and colleague, please join me in congratulating Karen Cribbs, our Middle School Craigie Award winner.