Meet Mrs. Crawford

How long have you been a teacher and what grades have you taught?

This will be my fourth year teaching 5th grade, and I was a very active substitute teacher for nearly two years before that. My student teaching was in 4th grade, and I subbed a great deal in 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade. However, I love teaching 5th grade the most because I enjoy the curriculum and the age level of the students. I've always enjoyed math, and 5th grade math is exciting because students learn how to do multi-digit multiplication and division, add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators, converting units of measure, and much more. I really like American history, too. In Science we learn about landforms, mixtures and solutions, environments, and space. I also enjoy teaching language arts and how to write better sentences and paragraphs. We also read and discuss novels in 5th grade. I just enjoy everything students learn in 5th grade.

What did you do before you became a teacher?

I worked in association management for three years in Wichita, Kansas, before moving to Las Vegas in 1988. I worked in various aspects of marketing for about seven years and then started a home-based graphic design business. Production Art had clients like CSN Continuing Education, Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, McCaw School of Mines, and the Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. I still do graphic design for the College of Southern Nevada, creating their non-credit course catalog three times a year. I enjoy using my graphic design skills as a teacher and teaching various computer skills to my students, including Microsoft Word, Publisher and PowerPoint.

When my daughter was younger, I became involved in PTA as president at Frias Elementary when it opened. Then I became a substitute teacher for CCSD working assignments mostly at Frias and Alamo Elementary.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Ravenna, Michigan, on an onion and carrot farm. I spent my summers weeding the fields, mowing our 3-acre yard, and doing the accounting for my dad in his farm office. My dad was a private pilot so we traveled a lot in his four-seat Piper Commanche. I've visited about 45 states and most of the provinces in Canada. I earned my pilots license when I was 17 and enjoy traveling whenever possible. (My favorite trip was to New Zealand and Australia in 1992.)

Where did you go to college?

I went to Central Michigan University where I earned a Bachelors degree in Business Administration. I majored in Hospitality Services and minored in Marketing. My teacher certification was earned 20 years later through Western Governors University. I am currently attending Lesley University for my Masters Degree in Technology in Education. I was also lucky enough to have been selected for a NASA sponsored training for teachers in July 2005 in Puerto Rico which emphasized science, mathematics and technology.

Are you married? Do you have any children?

Yes, I'm married. My husband works in management with technical show support for Cirque du Soleil. He gets to work with all the local Cirque shows and new shows being created. We have one daughter, Kelsie, who is a 7th grader at Tarkanian Middle School. Kelsie enjoys dancing jazz, tap, ballet and lyrical, and I'm her taxi every day after school for dance class. Kelsie will visit our class in the summer when she's on break to share middle school information with everyone.

What do you like to do for fun?

For most of my life, my favorite hobby has been sewing. I started sewing doll clothes when I was seven years old and then moved into sewing some of my own clothes. I did that for many years. My dream was to sew my own wedding dress, so when I got married, I did just that. There's a picture of me in my dress in the classroom on my "All About Me" project. I still sew whenever I can, mostly for home decorating projects now.

Lately, my fun thing is working on my website. I took web design classes several years ago and was reintroduced to it in a recent Master's class. It keeps me involved in graphic design but for education this time, so I'm loving it.

What are you looking forward to the most this year?

I'm excited to do more projects with my students this year, especially with technology. I hope we can find the time on the computers during school. (SuccessMaker sometimes gets in the way.) We'll be completing WebQuests as a means of research, creating Publisher brochures, and PowerPoint presentations. My students always have fun with computer projects and I do too!

I'm looking forward to a great year with my class. We're going to learn a bunch this year and... get ready for middle school!

			Special Thanks to Karen Powell for inspiration from MyFunTeacher.com