“What does it mean to be authentic, and seek truth, and expose that truth, and act on that?” English Teacher Mrs. Kara Crawford, thinking about the meaning of justice, asked, before pausing. “How do we understand who we are, better our communities, our individual selves? What does that mean for how we act in the world?”
The underlying sensitivity, wisdom, and compassion these questions reflect have shaped Mrs. Crawford’s teaching philosophy for the past 27 years at Bishop’s. Her influence, however, extends beyond her English classroom: she helped initiate Peer Support, mentored students through the Episcopal Community Services (ECS) Head Start program, and served as a “behind-the-scenes wizard” in communication within and across departments, according to English Department Chair Ms. Catherine Michaud.
As English Teacher Dr. Catherine Fox put it, Mrs. Crawford is “well-known for the ways that she has shaped not only the English Department but Bishop’s as an institution.”
As Mrs. Crawford prepares to close her Bishop’s chapter, the community is saying goodbye to not only a teacher, but also a mentor to both students and colleagues alike, whose impact will continue to guide our community through the foundations of literature, discussion, and intellectual exploration.
“If you look at how involved she is in the community, it shows what she thinks education should be about,” close friend and Chinese Teacher Ms. Esther Hsiao explained. “It shows teachers that our role at the school is not just in the classroom. Not many teachers can be so invested and so multifaceted as she is.”
To Mrs. Crawford, the question of understanding what it means to be “just” as an individual pervades her life — in the way that she explores the world, and in her philosophy as a teacher. That ideology is reflected in her deep dedication to her students — a quality equally recognized by her students and colleagues.
“Ms. Crawford is able to engage each and every student, both quiet and talkative,” Mrs. Crawford’s English I student, Laura Lin (‘29), noted. “She is very dedicated toward her teaching and makes every lesson engaging and rewarding.”
“She puts in a lot of work to give us feedback,” Colomba Joulin-Batejat (‘27), Mrs. Crawford’s current English III student, added. “On every essay, it won’t just be a grade. She’ll either write in the margins or at the end, and it’ll always help you make it better, and it’s easy to progress in her class.”
Ms. Hsiao noted, “She really thinks about what really matters and what works for students.” She highlighted Mrs. Crawford’s response to AI as evidence of her dedication, explaining that even in her final year of teaching, Mrs. Crawford spent winter break finding ways to help students keep thinking, reading, and writing for themselves. “She doesn’t stop. And that part is huge. And it’s very inspiring,” Ms. Hsiao said.
Mrs. Crawford’s close friend and Spanish and French Teacher Mrs. Julieta Torres-Worstell saw that same thoughtfulness in the way Mrs. Crawford explains the purpose of independent thinking and writing to her students. “She doesn’t hit them over the head,” Mrs. Torres said. “She explains to them in a way that they understand that [thinking and writing for themselves] is important for their future, reading analytically and writing well is important right now.”
The patient and deliberate way Mrs. Crawford communicates with her students was echoed by Chair of Religion and Ethics Dr. Regina Ballard, who has worked closely with her through co-teaching and a shared advisory. Dr. Ballard described Mrs. Crawford’s approach as “phenomenal,” explaining that her care comes from personal experience: “She’s gone through the process. As a mom, with a son going through, she has so much concern and care for students, while also keeping them accountable.”
Dr. Ballard and Ms. Michaud emphasized her ability to support and guide others: “She is the one who checks in with everybody in the department at some point, whether it’s just to say hello and give you a hug,” Ms. Michaud explained.
Dr. Ballard added, “She’s a go-to person if you’re having things that you’re struggling with, either at work or personally. She’s really good at giving sound practical advice.”
Joy Xu (‘26) recalled, “When I got my college acceptance, she was one of the first teachers I told, and she was super supportive. She was really happy for me. And I think that she just makes it easy to be able to talk to someone, and we know that we can talk to her if we need to.”
For Dr. Fox, who came to Bishop’s this school year, Mrs. Crawford’s influence comes from her being “open-minded and humble” despite her wealth of experience. Ms. Hsiao agreed, saying, “She’s modest, and some people can really put in their head, ‘woo, look at this. I’m really doing this, and this.’ But she presents it as like, ‘well, this is what I do,’ and she doesn’t really make a big deal out of it. But if you think about it, it is really a big deal.”
Mrs. Crawford studied English as an undergraduate and graduate student at the University of California, Irvine, and taught at three schools before coming to Bishop’s in 1999. At Bishop’s, she has initiated various elective courses, including Eng III/IV: Devils, Dreams, and Dragons: Visions of Struggle in Medieval and Modern Literature, and Eng III/IV: The Trickster in World Literature.
Over the course of her career, in addition to teaching, Mrs. Crawford has contributed to scholarly work in peer-reviewed journals and teaching volumes in English literature and medieval studies, presented on that subject at conferences across Wales, Iceland, and the UK, and worked with various non-profit institutions, having held leadership positions in organizations such as the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and the California Association of Teachers of English (CATE).
“I think it’s important to understand her as a scholar and researcher, especially in medieval and Renaissance studies,” Dr. Fox said. “I think a lot of students assume that older literature will be boring, but she counters that assumption with passion and disciplinary expertise.”
One of Mrs. Crawford’s favorite memories at Bishop’s comes from a one-semester seminar in which faculty and students came together as equal participants to study philosophy and literature. For their final writing assignment, everyone wrote and read aloud a letter to the class reflecting on the discussion moments that had most resonated with and inspired them. “I still have a copy of those letters, and I found them the other day in my files,” Mrs. Crawford said. “It was a meaningful experience to enjoy with faculty and students as equal participants at the table, and I am grateful that we had the opportunity.”
Moments like these are part of a larger environment of intellectual collaboration that has deeply influenced Mrs. Crawford’s career at Bishop’s. “I am deeply inspired by the academic and intellectual strength of my colleagues. I think we push each other to continue to learn and grow, not just in teaching strategies, but in academic areas and scholarly pursuits, which inspires and motivates me,” she said.
That same intellectual generosity has also made Mrs. Crawford a mentor to other teachers. Dr. Fox explained that her experience and wisdom allow her to share historically grounded and nuanced advice. “As a new teacher, that’s tremendously helpful because it gives me a sense of possibility,” she explained. “Usually what I’m considering has been done before in some form, and that nuanced perspective also helps me understand what potential benefits and drawbacks might be.”
English Teacher Dr. Clara Boyle was also mentored by Mrs. Crawford when she started at Bishop’s 12 years ago. Dr. Boyle recalled, “At that time, my classroom was at the other end of the hall, so she was right across from me, and I could pop in at any hour. She was so dependable, and so happily offered support and advice.”
Years later, Mrs. Crawford’s support and wisdom continue to shape Dr. Boyle’s teaching. “I learn so much from her all the time,” Dr. Boyle said. “Even when we spend time together outside of work, I end up rushing home and taking notes about the things that we talked about.” She continued that these conversations often give her ideas for future units and lessons, and explained, “I’ve also just picked up on her wisdom in those conversations, in ways that inform choices that I end up making.”
Dr. Boyle put it simply: “She’s great at writing curriculum, writing assignments, performing studies for the department; she’s a great listener and a great communicator … She has these incredible practical skills wedded with being an excellent thinker.”
Because of her depth of experience, both outside and within the English Department, Mrs. Crawford serves as the first point of reference for many of her colleagues — whether it’s developing lesson plans, addressing parent concerns, or communicating with the administration.
English Teacher Mr. Mark Radley, who has worked with Mrs. Crawford for 25 years, shared: “When we have questions or issues, we turn to Mrs. Crawford. She has an institutional memory to help articulate the school’s values and mission; she reminds us of who we are and what we’re here for.”
Mrs. Crawford’s patience, humility, and sensitivity allow her to “build bridges between the administration and the department,” Mr. Radley explained, adding that this work is often invisible to students but “vital for things to run smoothly.” He added, “I’m sure it’s not in her contract to do this, but she quietly does the work, earning the respect of everyone she works with.”
He noted that she can clearly articulate the department’s needs to the administration while also helping the department understand administrative priorities. Ms. Michaud echoed this, saying, “She is not afraid to have conversations that might be hard. And she does it graciously and kindly, and in a way that people listen.”
Ms. Michaud also described Mrs. Crawford as the “glue” for the English Department, explaining that when the English I team grew to seven people last year — what Ms. Michaud called “a creative and independent group of educators” — Mrs. Crawford stepped up to co-lead the team with English Teacher Dr. Lydia Lundgren, focusing on understanding what each teacher was doing and encouraging them to share. Ms. Michaud added that since Mrs. Crawford became involved, “the team has become an engine of harmonious collaboration and ingenuity.”
For Mrs. Crawford, collaboration is fundamental to a strong educational environment. From Harkness discussions to the rotational leadership structure at the ECS Head Start club, Mrs. Crawford explained, “Working together and knowing how to come to the table prepared enables you to genuinely collaborate and leave the table with so much more than you could have done on your own.”
This collaboration extends to the Bishop’s community. “I’ve learned that it takes a village. I’ve learned that it takes a whole community of people working together to help raise and educate kids,” Mrs. Crawford said. “We’re able to create a full environment here, and that is what supports good education: being able to work together to create that more complete environment.”
To Mrs. Crawford, Bishop’s has offered her “the best teaching career anybody could ask for.” She added, “It’s really been a valuable experience … I had really the best imaginable professional support, colleagues, campus, quality of students, all of it.”
For Mrs. Crawford, education means being authentic, seeking truth, exposing that truth, and acting on it: “I honestly think that that’s what educators do, and so I feel very much like I’m in a community of people of adults who have made it their vocation to do that,” Mrs. Crawford said.
“After all these years of working, I realized it’s not always a given to have a colleague or friend like that,” Ms. Hsiao said, smiling. Mrs. Torres added, “It’s very, very special. Very special.”
