Marie's Story

A Drawing Each School Morning

Marie Hablitzel integrated drawing instruction into her curriculum shortly after she started teaching in 1942. She saw how the children (and she!) responded to regular drawing instruction. Eventually, she created a lesson for each school day.
2nd Grade Teacher

Marie taught primary grades at Gerber Elementary in California for most of her career. Budgets were tight, so she used whatever paper was available. The children did their drawing and handwriting on the front, with math on the back.
Mother

Marie and my father raised six children. Their daughter, Julie, is currently a teacher at the school where Marie taught. Their oldest son also became an elementary school teacher after a full career as a landscape architect. The other four work as: highway patrolman, administrative secretary, private jet mechanic and author.
Volunteer

After retirement in 1982, Marie volunteered at Community Christian School in Red Bluff, California and gave a lesson each week over the next twelve years. She especially liked Aaron’s drawing of a flying goose. She said that this lesson was his introduction to cursive and the reason for his wide spacing, or possibly he was trying a new look.
Inspiration for Draw Write Now Books

In 1991, we lived a long distance from Marie. She mailed drawings and notes to my five year-old daughter. One day, after straightening the letters and realizing the stack of papers looked like a book, I phoned her and said, “Mom, I think other parents could use your lessons.” We agreed that school teachers would appreciate them, too.
Getting Published

A family friend, Carolyn Hurst, worked in the publishing industry. In 1994, her company, Barker Creek, published the first Draw Write Now book. Marie and I helped promote the books at conferences and conventions. This one was especially fun—the Dairyville Orchard Festival. The festival is in Marie’s community, and she was a featured guest. We were joined by Maryanne, Marie’s granddaughter and my niece.
Marie's Work Continues

Marie enjoyed three-mile walks up until a few weeks before her death in 2007 at the age of 86. I was blessed to have the opportunity to work with her and am honored to carry on the principles and techniques she used to help engage and motivate children to learn.
~ Kim Stitzer