The Kragen U Store

Retired now, I was a teacher from 1977 to 2022. I worked in public and private schools, in third through eighth grades, in California, Colorado, New York, and Washington. Beginning in 1983, I specialized in gifted education, starting in pull-out models. In North Kitsap I began with a 5/6 self-contained class, then moved to 6/7 English/social studies block classes, and then returned to elementary school, teaching a self-contained four-five class.

I regularly differentiated and integrated curriculum. I set really high standards, but I had a lot of fun.

I was a National Board Certified Teacher. I was also on the Executive Board of the Washington Association of Educators of Talented and Gifted (WAETAG). I was named an Outstanding Educator by the Alpha Sigma Chapter, Kitsap County, of the Delta Kappa Gamma International Society for Key Women Educators, and was the North Kitsap Teacher of the Year in 2023. I now served on the Coalition for Gifted Education in the state of Washington.

I graduated from Los Gatos High School, Los Gatos, CA. I got my BA from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA. I got my MA from San Jose State in San Jose, CA.

I have also taught teachers, through writing science and social studies curriculum units for North Kitsap School District, resource books for teachers, and educational articles; through presenting at national and state science, social studies, and gifted conferences; and through in-service training, both within my district and as a consultant through other districts and my educational service district (ESD). Many of the things I have written, and many of the materials I have developed for my own classroom use are available for free off my website, kragen.net.