LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Karen Szafranski was nominated by her colleague, Marjorie Tankersley.

Ms. Szafranski moved to Fredericksburg from Edinboro, Pennsylvania in 1981 to join Fredericksburg City Public Schools as a speech pathologist. She spent her entire career in education with FCPS, a remarkable feat. She moved from speech pathology to her great love, working with special needs children in a self-contained setting and later as an inclusion teacher.

For the past 12 years, Ms. Szafranski has worked closely with her co-teacher, Kathy Weller. As the inclusion teacher, she worked with all kindergarteners in the classroom. She treated every child the same: as a wonderful person who deserved the best education she could provide. One could never tell who the special needs children in the classroom were. She has made a difference in the lives of every student she has worked with over the years. She is incredibly positive. She always finds the best in any situation.

Ms. Szafranski is not only a kind, loving teacher and role model, but she is also incredibly creative in the presentation of lessons. She makes learning so much fun. Parents often related that their children cried when they had to stay out of school due to illness or other issues; they just wanted to see what fun and interesting things their teacher had prepared for them that day. Her positivity has been powerful and especially beneficial to her very young and often fragile students.

Ms. Szafranski's outstanding teaching expertise, organizational skills, and thoughtful and kind demeanor meant she was often asked to serve as a mentor to new teachers. She could always encourage them to make positive changes, if needed, in a very upbeat way. She is beloved by her fellow teachers. She has been chosen as Teacher of the Year for the school several times and served as division Teacher of the Year.

Ms. Szafranski's mom, Dot Parker, always said, "It will all work out." That seemed to become Ms. Szafranski's mantra. Even when things became challenging, she maintained calm and knew it would "all work out."

"Karen and her co-teacher always had a Thanksgiving feast with their Kindergarten children," said Tankersley. "Karen cooked the turkey, and her co-teacher made the pies. They cooked all the fixings, like the mashed potatoes, corn, and stuffing with the kids in the classroom. She says her claim to fame is how to cook a full Thanksgiving dinner without a kitchen. And don't you know, the kids just loved this!"

"Another memorable event has been their end-of-year play," said Tankersley. "This started as having kids recite poems and sing songs they had learned through the year. Then one year, Karen discovered the Three Piggy Opera, which has become a tradition they have done for a number of years except for the two-year hiatus created by COVID. They have several sayings from the play which you might hear Karen say: 'That sounds mighty fine to me!' or 'Good luck, we'll miss you! Call us if you need us!' Due to great demand from parents, they had to do an encore performance this year. And every child has a part. Think what that means to any 5-year-old, let alone one with special challenges. This tradition is just one reason why she is beloved by all teachers and parents at the school."

"Karen has always been a great storyteller. Her annual Valentine's Day story about Tilly Gum and Frederick Flume is a classic," said Tankersley. "Tilly Gump makes Frederick Flume's heart go 'thump, thump, thump!' Do you think kindergarteners might like that? You bet they do! Around Earth Day, she tells the story of Freddy Fish, who journeys through polluted water. In true Karen Szafranski fashion, she tweaked the original story and always spared Freddy's life at the end when Freddy again finds clean water. She sent this story out to other teachers and was horrified to learn that others did not spare Freddy in the end."

"Karen's very high teaching standards, as well as her high moral and ethical standards, have made her a role model for all teachers. Her commitment to making each child feel valued and loved speaks to the wonderfully nurturing environment she has always created in her classroom. She has been a LifeChanger to hundreds of students, parents, and colleagues. If a teacher could be cloned, she should be the one," said Tankersley.