Karen touched so many lives. Some refer to it as " magical fairy dust". She was an amazing woman, mother, wife, teacher and friend. As friends of the family, we would like to create a storybook of her life in order to capture some of the "magic" she gave all of us who had the pleasure of knowing her.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Three Words
Teachers are often asked to describe a student in just three words. If you only had three words to describe this amazing women (we realize this is not enough) what words would you choose? please also share why.
Sensible, Supportive and Compassionate! This is how I saw Karen in her work with SAAS students. She didn't let her feathers get ruffled, she knew how to help kids get out of their academic jams, and most importantly she approached every student and every problem with loving kindness. She was a wonderful role model for the SAAS community! Lots of love, Heidi
High school was a difficult time for me, as it was for many people. Crest was a safe haven, a place where social odd balls could feel safe and part of a family. Karen created that safety for me. When I had pretty much given up on the whole high school thing, my mom convinced me to give Crest a try. For the first time in my life that I can remember, I felt safe, valued and belonging; Karen gave me that. Karen gave us all that. As I've grown and traveled different paths of my life and learned more about who I am, I have appreciated Karen more and more. Karen was my mentor, my confidante, my guardian angel and my second mother. She made me get my first job; she saved my relationship with my mother. She made me feel valued for the first time in my life. She knew when something was wrong without having to be told. She saw through any B.S. She set us all straight and handled any chaos while still making us feel loved and cared for. For all of that, Karen is a super hero. So Wonder Woman it is.
Angel Among Us. it's a tad odd that i would choose this description, given that i stand somewhere between agnosticism and atheism, but it is what sprang instantly to my mind and it rings true. there is something so extraordinary about karen that i simply can not dismiss the possibility that she truly was a gift from beyond. the gift of karen is somehow omnipresent with me, as i expect it is with all others who regard her as a "guardian angel"; from the moment whe touched my life, she has never seemed far away, no matter how many years or miles have fallen between us. i still hear her wise voice, nearly twenty years after being her student. i still carry gifts from her, both tangible and intangible. i still feel her embrace when i am falling apart and hear her cheering when i triumph. i still want to make her proud. and perhaps most amazing of all, karen always had a way of casting it all as though I were the gift to HER. as far as i'm concerned, in moving on from here she's not leaving us behind, she's just going back where she came from. -brenda
Kids come first. Of course there are many, many, many more wonderful words to describe this unique, special woman. But we all knew that whatever kids needed to be whole, was the most important thing to Karen.
"the better angels..." Lincoln hoped that the better angels of our nature would help us avoid a civil war. Karen was that better angel for me on a daily basis and always helped me to tap into love, care, and compassion in my work with kids.
Sensible, Supportive and Compassionate! This is how I saw Karen in her work with SAAS students. She didn't let her feathers get ruffled, she knew how to help kids get out of their academic jams, and most importantly she approached every student and every problem with loving kindness. She was a wonderful role model for the SAAS community! Lots of love, Heidi
ReplyDeleteI can sum it up in two: Wonder Woman.
ReplyDeleteHigh school was a difficult time for me, as it was for many people. Crest was a safe haven, a place where social odd balls could feel safe and part of a family. Karen created that safety for me. When I had pretty much given up on the whole high school thing, my mom convinced me to give Crest a try. For the first time in my life that I can remember, I felt safe, valued and belonging; Karen gave me that. Karen gave us all that. As I've grown and traveled different paths of my life and learned more about who I am, I have appreciated Karen more and more. Karen was my mentor, my confidante, my guardian angel and my second mother. She made me get my first job; she saved my relationship with my mother. She made me feel valued for the first time in my life. She knew when something was wrong without having to be told. She saw through any B.S. She set us all straight and handled any chaos while still making us feel loved and cared for. For all of that, Karen is a super hero. So Wonder Woman it is.
Amazing, Beautiful, Omnipresent
ReplyDeleteBest Laugh. Ever.
ReplyDeletespiritual, graceful, charming
ReplyDeletesensitive, serene, and always centered
ReplyDeleteSmart, Loving and Giving
ReplyDeleteAngel Among Us. it's a tad odd that i would choose this description, given that i stand somewhere between agnosticism and atheism, but it is what sprang instantly to my mind and it rings true. there is something so extraordinary about karen that i simply can not dismiss the possibility that she truly was a gift from beyond. the gift of karen is somehow omnipresent with me, as i expect it is with all others who regard her as a "guardian angel"; from the moment whe touched my life, she has never seemed far away, no matter how many years or miles have fallen between us. i still hear her wise voice, nearly twenty years after being her student. i still carry gifts from her, both tangible and intangible. i still feel her embrace when i am falling apart and hear her cheering when i triumph. i still want to make her proud. and perhaps most amazing of all, karen always had a way of casting it all as though I were the gift to HER. as far as i'm concerned, in moving on from here she's not leaving us behind, she's just going back where she came from. -brenda
ReplyDeletecompassionate, wise, optimist
ReplyDeleteIntuitive, Spiritual and Caring.
ReplyDeleteSweet, loving, and true.
ReplyDeleteKids come first. Of course there are many, many, many more wonderful words to describe this unique, special woman. But we all knew that whatever kids needed to be whole, was the most important thing to Karen.
ReplyDeletePat
Wise, loving, miracle-worker.
ReplyDelete"the better angels..."
ReplyDeleteLincoln hoped that the better angels of our nature would help us avoid a civil war. Karen was that better angel for me on a daily basis and always helped me to tap into love, care, and compassion in my work with kids.
welcoming, centered, kind
ReplyDeleteSilver * spun * crone
ReplyDelete