No matter what the plight of education on a national, state, or
local level, Rucker Elementary School’s 3rd grade teacher Janice
Krahenbuhl makes sure that the students in her classroom never lack
for anything.
No matter what the plight of education on a national, state, or local level, Rucker Elementary School’s 3rd grade teacher Janice Krahenbuhl makes sure that the students in her classroom never lack for anything. “A teacher has so much power over the whole climate of his or her classroom,” she says.
She supplements what the school district provides with her own supplies and personal resources because “I was always encouraged by teachers who introduced me to fantasy, fiction, and the real world. Since I was a very young child, I have known that education was the key to a richer, fuller life. I owe a debt I can never repay. My teachers led me to the concept that I could control much of my destiny through education.”
Mrs. Krahenbuhl, as she is commonly known, also brings a great sense of personal history to her craft through her own American roots. She was born two weeks before her father turned 49 years old, and he in turn was born when his own father was 51. That put a one hundred year difference (to the week) between her and her grandfather, which created a circumstance quite rare for someone Mrs. Krahenbuhl’s age: her own grandfather was a Civil War soldier who fought in the Illinois 77th Infantry.
When you visit her class, you can see the way Mrs. Krahenbuhl brings history to life in creative ways, from having students act out the first Thanksgiving to having historical characters like Sojourner Truth explain history in person.
In spite of all the enthusiasm in her classroom, rarely does anything happen sensational enough to warrant mention in the news media. Day in and day out teachers like Mrs. Krahenbuhl bring a wealth of experience and wisdom into their students’ lives whose value it is impossible to measure.
“There are some people in the school district who think I’ve been around long enough,” Mrs. Krahenbuhl says. “This is my 40th school year in the classroom. People keep saying to me, ‘Where do you get your energy?’ I’ve had doctors say, ‘Where do you get your energy?’ Well, if you’ve ever been in a room with 20 third graders,” she laughs, “They are pretty energizing.”
She has seen teachers come to Rucker with a lot of training, yet they didn’t do well when it came to working in the actual classroom.
“There are people who come to teaching with all the right credentials, yet they are a disaster when it comes to the reality of being in the trenches,” Mrs. Krahenbuhl observes. “The best teachers are people who have a natural gift for teaching; they bring joy and fun to their classrooms.”
What can one person do to make a difference in public education? “I cannot fix education,” she says, “I do not have any answers. But in my classroom, children do not know about the crisis in education. They do know they have a safe place where they are encouraged to be creative and confident learners.”
It is something only teachers the caliber of Mrs. Krahenbuhl are willing and able to provide.
