Willow Glen Resident

News

Teacher has magical way with kids

By Emilie Crofton

Crisscross applesauce, pepperoni pizza. These words are all music and movement teacher Marian Krummel has to say to get the attention of 24 excited and easily distracted preschool children at San Jose Parents Participating Nursery School.

Marian Krummel is retiring after more than 25 years of teaching at the preschool.

"Whoever we choose to replace her will have extremely large shoes to fill because Marian was just absolutely amazing," parent and Willow Glen resident David Keller says. "Replacing her will be a real challenge."

Throughout her teaching career, parents say they have marveled at Krummel's ability to immediately capture the hearts of young children.

"She is just magical," says Carmen Mayoral, who is the school president for 2006-07. "Marian just has to enter a room for all the kids to focus on her and erupt in cheers and smiles."

For the past two decades Krummel has worked with children from 2 ¹/2 to 5 years old at the nursery school. Krummel has used music to teach the students movement, muscle and motor skill coordination and dance.

Krummel's relationship with her young charges is even more remarkable considering she meets with the children only once a week, for just 30 minutes at a time.

Parents at the school say Krummel doesn't need much to entertain and engage the children.

"She can use something as simple as cotton balls and music to engage the children, making them believe they are high up in the clouds," Mayoral says. "She transports the children to a magical place."

Mayoral has seen Krummel's impact on her own son.

"In preschool, nothing would engage my son. He didn't like science, reading or even art. He just wanted to play all the time," Mayoral says. "But Marian simply transformed him. Whenever she came to the classroom, he was a totally different person. Even now, years later, he remembers Marian."

Four-year-old Sloane Polhemus was another student influenced by Krummel.

"At first Sloane was shy and did not want to jump right into Marian's activities," her mother, Megan Polhemus, said, "but Marian always respected each child's comfort level. Now my daughter feels comfortable and loves Marian."

Polhemus says her daughter is more self-confident.

"Marian helped my daughter become more social and comfortable to try new things, instead of just remaining observant and hanging back," Polhemus says.

Krummel's teaching techniques have influenced children for years, says parent Alice Meyer.

Meyer currently has two 4-year-old girls at the school, and speaks about Krummel's influence on her older daughter Abbie, now 8.

"Abbie was mostly reticent in class, but she always participated when Marian was there," Meyer says.

As a parent Meyers found Krummel's approach captivating.

"I went there to just watch from the background and found myself smiling the entire time," she says.

Krummel was born and raised in Montana. She has an education degree from Montana State and a master's degree in early childhood education from Boston's Wheelock College.

After visiting her brother in California, she decided to stay, and has lived in the area ever since. Today she resides in Saratoga.

Krummel has taught at a variety of schools including Mulberry, Los Gatos Parent Nursery, Los Gatos Observation Nursery, Rolling Hills Middle and Chandler Tripp schools.

Krummel has also taught at San Jose City College, giving workshops on music, movement and drama to teachers.

She has also worked with children with special needs and with the visually impaired.

Although being a teacher has been her whole world, she says this is the right time for her to retire.

"I've enjoyed every last minute of being with the kids, teachers and parents," Krummel says. "It has just gotten hard to get organized now. I would love to do some traveling and volunteering."

Krummel's daughters, Sarah and Suzie, have followed in their mother's footsteps. Sarah teaches special-education in the San Mateo high school district while Suzie teaches fifth-grade in Tiburon.

As Krummel gets ready to leave, Mayoral says, "Nothing we can give or say to her can ever be enough to thank her for what she has given to the parents and children."

The San Jose Parents Participating Nursery School plans to celebrate Krummel's retirement with a special picnic for alumni and current families. The celebration will take place on June 3 at Vasona County Lake Park in Los Gatos from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.