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History Teacher Karen Turlay Retires After 18 Years of Impact

6/24/2025

After 18 years in the Upper School History Department, Karen Turlay is retiring from Cranbrook Kingswood. Known for her steady presence in the classroom and thoughtful approach to teaching, Turlay has taught a wide range of courses and worked closely with students across nearly two decades of Upper School life.

Her path to Cranbrook began somewhat unexpectedly. As reported by Sherry Chen ’27 in the Crane Clarion, Turlay was completing her graduate degree in Archival Administration and History at Wayne State University when she received a call from then-Department Head Erika Hansinger, who was seeking a part-time U.S. History teacher. Turlay accepted, and two years later joined the faculty full-time and moved onto campus.

Over the years, she taught courses including Worldviews and Civilizations, American History and Government, and AP World History.

Her classroom was always a place of energy and inquiry—never dull, always evolving. Turlay credits her students with helping her become a better teacher, noting that their questions, backgrounds, and lived experiences often shaped how she approached the material.

“Students have taught me how to teach,” she told Chen. “I’m teaching stuff I learned from a book, and kids coming from all around the world are sitting there who lived that and know it from the inside.”

She emphasized to her students the importance of examining history from multiple viewpoints. “You have to look at all the facts and look at it from different viewpoints and different sources to decide what history is,” she said. “History is only the story that we tell about ourselves. It’s not a truth that you can go out and find.”

Turlay also reflected on how her classroom evolved over time—from single-sex classes to co-educational ones—and found that the students remained at the center of her work, no matter the structure. “Kids are kids,” she said. “You can mix them any way and they turn out the same.”

Now preparing to move to Farmington Hills, she looks forward to more time for birdwatching, reading, and enjoying quieter mornings. Still, she adds, “I’m going to miss teaching and the students.”

At the Kingswood commencement ceremony, Turlay shared her reflections on her experiences at Cranbrook Schools with the class of '25, as she gave the "Faculty Farewell" address.

Share your well wishes and memories with Ms. Turlay on the CK community tribute page:
https://padlet.com/CKshares/Turlay

Click here for video of Turlay's "Faculty Farewell," which begins at 32:15.

Read the full student feature by Sherry Chen ’27 in The Crane Clarion:
Turlay Retires After 18 Years at Cranbrook

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