Mrs. Carnell

By Kris Kramer, Grade 12

Deep within the rock lies a gem.

Mrs. Carnell is an educator at Arrowhead high school. She values other people for what they can become, and for what they can accomplish. A clear goal of hers is to help other people grow. During my time in her classroom, I’ve seen the effects of her patience and persistence on others, and on myself.

I like to write, and because of this, Mrs. Carnell's 11th-grade and 12th classes weren’t a struggle. I completed her assignments easily and on time. I felt comfortable and confident in her class and found her to be friendly and sensitive.

Through time, her kindness and sincerity became obviously genuine. I never had to worry about a thoughtless or insensitive comment from her about an assignment or about an opinion I had. This made her class a perfect end to the day during both semesters. Though it was a joy to know her, my biggest takeaway wasn’t the way she treated me. It was the way she treated others.

A large number of kids that take writing classes do it for the grade, and the credits to graduate: Mrs. Carnell knows this. Yet, the students who wouldn't normally give the class any effort or thought, are the people she engages with the most. A student could be zoned out, on their phones, and off task; and Mrs. Carnell’s polite request to give the work a chance will kindle the fire of a new essay.

I recall a moment in which someone who didn’t like to share out in class was called on to read something from the whiteboard. It’s easy to judge, but this was the kind of person who looked like they didn’t want to be at school and would rather never come back if they had any say. Mrs. Carnell didn’t see that. She saw a person who had their own interests and ideas, and might benefit from speaking in front of people now and again. She called on him to share, and after some persuasion, had him read two entire paragraphs from an article on the screen. She didn’t do this to embarrass or punish him: she did it because she knew it was something he needed.

Mrs. Carnell had implemented a phone jail at the start of the year, which was met with resistance from more than half of the kids. A week or so went by, and after remaining persistent with the rule, the class eventually did not have to be reminded to put their phones in the slots. One Friday, a repeat offender of the no-phone rule simply and plainly asked Mrs. Carnell,

“Mrs. Carnell, can we keep our phones on us just for today?”

Instead of blowing off his request, Mrs. Carnell allowed us to keep our phones on us, so long as they were quiet. The first day of not using the phone jail after a few weeks of needing it went well; there were little to no distractions, and the majority of the class was still focused and intune with the lesson. From then on, the phone jail was never used again in our class period.

I am grateful to have been in Mrs. Carnell's class more than once. It might have been the case that If I had her for one class, she would've been remembered as a great teacher and a nice person. However, having her a second year showed me that above all that, she is also compassionate and caring–and not just for the studious kids. She cares for each individual who comes into the classroom, whether they want to be there or not.

Thank you, Mrs. Carnell.