Ms. Gretchen Kaluzny

Our group interviewed Ms. Gretchen Kaluzny, the Lower School coordinator. Ms. Kaluzny is not a teacher, but loves working with kids. She works directly with the lower school head, Ms. Swanson-Beck, and lower school assistant teachers. Ms. Kaluzny has been at Parker for 17 years.

Ms. Kaluzny came to Parker because she had a friend who asked her to apply here and, 17 years later, she continues to do amazing work at Parker. Her friend was the main inspiration that brought her to Parker. This was not her original career plan. Ms. Kaluzny didn’t want this job at first. She didn’t want to be a teacher and didn’t realize there were so many other jobs at a school. Her original plan was to be a psychologist, and she has an undergraduate degree in psychology. Ms. Kaluzny found that she liked the school setting, and when she worked here she realized that she doesn’t have to be a teacher to work in a school.

One of Ms. Kaluzny's favorite things to do is read books. One of her favorite authors is Ken Follett, whose Century series she told us she enjoys. The Century series is about seven families before World War II, during the war, and after the war. It is also about how certain nations were affected by the war. Ms. Kaluzny also enjoys the book Pillars of the Earth. This book is about the building of a cathedral in a fictional town called King’s Bridge, England. This book is set in the 12th century.

Ms. Kaluzny loves that her job overlaps with all types of students. Sometimes, the students come to her office because they are having a bad day. When that happens, she uses her counseling skills to console them. One of her favorite parts of the job is working with children. Ms. Kaluzny loves her location, which is right near the stairwell next to the cafeteria. She likes that location because she can see all the grades coming down the stairwell. One of her favorite things about her job is that each day is different, but there are still some things that repeat, like taking attendance.

The hardest part of Ms. Kaluzny’s job for her is interacting with everybody. She finds that challenging because she has to be responsive even if she’s having a bad day. Ms. Kaluzny likes all the attention sometimes, but other times she enjoys peace and quiet when she is working. One thing she would change to make her job better is to move the laminator from her office because teachers come in often to laminate things, and they distract her from what she’s focusing on. Plus, it smells. However, sometimes it is nice because it gives her an excuse to talk to coworkers she normally wouldn't get to see.

Ms. Kaluzny thinks that two of the biggest changes to Parker in the last 17 years were the addition of the turf field and the fact that there have been multiple Lower School heads in the time that she has worked here. She hated the old grass field because after it rained, the field turned into a mudpit. Games had to be canceled, and kids would hurt themselves at recess. Ms. Kaluzny loves the new field, as it solves all of those problems. She also noted that she has worked under multiple Lower School heads in her 17 years here. Another, smaller change is her office. She used to be centrally located in the exhibition hallway across from the auditorium, where Ms. Byrnes-Cloet's office is now. Ms. Kaluzny enjoys her current office because it is more spacious than her old one. She thinks that technology has improved her job. When she started, she used a real calendar. Now she uses a digital one, and it makes a huge difference. Email also helps things run a lot smoother.

One of the main parts of Ms. Kaluzny's job is interacting with the Parker community. The people that she interacts with most are parents and teachers. Every day, Ms. Kaluzny sets up many meetings, takes attendance, and helps show the substitute teachers where to go. She also just finished grades and comments. Much of her work changes depending on what season or month it is. Some of the hardest events to schedule are the huge events like Field Day, Big Brothers & Sisters, and the Piece of the House MX because everything changes year-to-year. She works with Ms. Williams and Mr. Novick on a weekly basis. She also works with Ms. Allen. Some of Ms. Kaluzny's biggest projects of the year are preparing grades and comments, and sending out the summer mails detailing which classes students will be in come fall. Ms. Kaluzny loves to multitask and she is very good at it. She works better in emergencies because she doesn't have time to plan what she's going to do. Ms. Kaluzny doesn't think that there is any one thing that students can do to help her with her job, but there is a way to please her: she loves it when older students wait for the lower school children to pass and do not cut into their line.

In Ms. Kaluzny's job, she has learned many things. One important lesson that she has learned is if she messes up, she should be accountable and admit that has happened rather than saying it hasn’t. She also believes in trying to resolve your own mistakes first instead of making someone else fix what you messed up or hiding your mistakes. This way, you can learn from your mistakes rather than simply brushing them off.

Ms. Gretchen Kaluzny is a vital part of the Parker community. She is one of the figures that you have always known, but might not have known what she does. She helps the Lower School and the school itself to run smoothly and effectively. If you see her in the halls, or anywhere else, make sure to show your gratitude for her amazing work.