DID YOU KNOW?
Tacoma’s story spans more than two centuries from the time Captain George Vancouver anchored off Tacoma’s north shore in 1792.
In 1870, Tacoma’s natural deep-water port became an attraction that the Northern Pacific Railroad couldn’t pass up, when it made Tacoma a stop on its transcontinental line.
Old Tacoma and New Tacoma merged in 1884 and incorporated as Tacoma. By 1890, the population reached 36,000 people.
Tacoma is home to the Port of Tacoma, the seventh-largest container port in the United States, and it is within 20 miles of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and 36 miles of the city of Seattle.
Karen Burdick,
Kindergarten
Karen Burdick teaches kindergarten. “So much can be done with children when you have small classes,” she says. “Having come from teaching two half-day kindergarten classes with 24 students in each class, the benefits of having 16 students all day are so clear.”
One of Burdick’s students called her at home one evening to tell her he’d lost a tooth. “I was thrilled with the news and to be able to share in his excitement,” she recalls. “It truly illustrates the bond we form with kids here. The hugs and ‘I love yous’ we get all the time show the children are in a happy place.”
Burdick grew up in the Tacoma area. She received her bachelors degree in education from Western Washington University and her masters degree from the University of Puget Sound. Her parents participated in clearing the grounds around Charles Wright back in the early days of the school with other members of local Episcopal churches.
“After years of driving by and telling my daughter that someday I wanted to teach at Charles Wright, my dream came true when a kindergarten position opened and I was hired,” Burdick says. “Kindergartners are valued as learners here and are given so many opportunities. It’s a phenomenal place to be!”
One of Burdick’s students called her at home one evening to tell her he’d lost a tooth. “I was thrilled with the news and to be able to share in his excitement,” she recalls. “It truly illustrates the bond we form with kids here. The hugs and ‘I love yous’ we get all the time show the children are in a happy place.”
Burdick grew up in the Tacoma area. She received her bachelors degree in education from Western Washington University and her masters degree from the University of Puget Sound. Her parents participated in clearing the grounds around Charles Wright back in the early days of the school with other members of local Episcopal churches.
“After years of driving by and telling my daughter that someday I wanted to teach at Charles Wright, my dream came true when a kindergarten position opened and I was hired,” Burdick says. “Kindergartners are valued as learners here and are given so many opportunities. It’s a phenomenal place to be!”
