In light of some very sad and hurtful news I received the
latter part of the week, the passing of my high school English teacher, Mrs.
Christine Knight, I have decided to take a different approach with my blog this
week. I've decided to highlight those
individuals who have made a tremendous impact on my life and whom I truly
considered to be not just exceptional role models, but leaders in every aspect
of the word.
From as far back as I can remember I have always loved
school; in fact, I couldn't wait to go back each and every day just to learn
something new. Over the course of my
educational training, I have had some remarkable and great teachers. The bulk of these were my English and/or
Creative Writing teachers. It’s funny that as I sit and think back on all the
teachers I have had in elementary, high school and even college, I recall the
names of almost all my English teachers, but vaguely remember the names of some
of my other teachers, lol!
The Early Years
My first English teacher ever, was my 1st grade
teacher, Mrs. Lewis. Mrs. Lewis was one of those teachers that you knew meant
business. Everything about her exuded leadership and this was not because she
was an educator. Whenever, she walked in a room, she commanded your attention
and her presence was known. The fundamentals of English, such as writing your
name, what’s a subject and a predicate she taught me. Mrs. Lewis truly loved
working with kids and this showed in the many rewards and surprises she had for
her students throughout the school year. The thing of it was that we knew
nothing about the reward system until years down the line. Those little
surprises and treats that most of didn't find until we retreated home for the
evening and went through our book bag had little 6-yr old me in shock initially.
It wasn't until I reached the 3rd grade, that I overheard her and my
3rd grade teacher talking about how educationally advanced I was for
my age. One fact that a lot of people do not know about me is that I actually
began Christian school at the age of 3 and was placed in a class with 4 and
5-year-olds because I was already reading and writing. It wasn't until close to
my 5th birthday, which is August that I was advanced to Kindergarten. It was in my eavesdropping that I heard her
tell my 3rd grade teacher of the many rewards she gave me and the
other students when we were in her class, I was speechless. Yet, this was one custom that kind of
followed me through the years.
Mrs. Freeman was my 7th & 8th
grade English teacher. It was under her
direction that my English and creative writing skills flourished. Also, it was during these years that my father
passed away and not feeling like I could talk to anyone about my feelings, I
took to journaling and praise dance. It
was in one of our weekly writing assignments that Mrs. Freeman noticed the caliber
and advancement of my writings and decided to give me a little test. In addition to our regular weekly
assignments, in English class each day, she would give me excerpts from
Shakespeare and British Literature to read and interpret. My interpretations
were dead on and precise. Unbeknownst to me at the time, these were assignments
that she assigned to her freshman English class at one of the local community
colleges that she taught in the evenings.
For the two years that she taught me, she never treated me any different
from my classmates. Although, some of my
assignments differed from my peers, this was something that she never filled
them in on. Mrs. Freeman informed me that I had a gift and a way with words and
to never forget it. It’s funny that some 15 years later, I still recall that. During my eighth grade year, there were two
new students that started and had very poor English scores from their previous school;
everyone knew this because of their poor penmanship and lack of interaction in
class. Mrs. Freeman worked diligently every school day with these students and
at the end of the school year; their scores had improved tremendously as well
as their penmanship.
High School Years
In the fall of 2000, I started high school at Holy Family High
School. Most of my classmates from the
two previous private schools I attended also started there. On day one, we were all given our schedules
and the names of our teachers for the year. I’ll never forget the day I walked
into Freshman English and was met with the biggest and warmest smiles ever.
Mrs. Knight was written on the chalkboard behind that infectious smile and it
was at that moment, I felt like I was at home.
Words alone cannot describe just how remarkable and great Mrs. Knight
was as a teacher and as a human being.
 |
| Mrs. Christine Knight |
For starters, there was never a dull moment in Mrs. Knight’s
English classes. I ended up having Mrs. Knight as my English teacher for the
full span of my high school years. For those of you have ever watched Freedom Writers, sounds familiar huh,
lol! The only difference is that Mrs.
Knight was not limited to just teaching freshman or sophomores. Mrs. Knight made an effort to get to know ALL
of her students on a personal level, about 140 students. My high school was quite
small.
In Mrs. Knight’s class, there was no such thing as a dumb
question. To her a dumb question was one you didn't ask. The passion and love she had for all of her
students was beyond anything that I have ever seen. If I had to peg a leadership style for her,
it would be a combination of path-goal theory, transformational leadership,
authentic leadership and servant leadership.
When Mrs. Knight taught, she didn't just teach, she transformed the
learning dynamics for her students. The
one thing that none of her students will ever forget is the 1st ten
lines of the Canterbury Tales. She is known across the city for the teaching of
this. I can think of no better example
of servant leadership than that of Mrs. Knight. She put her students first and
treated us not just as the confused and hormone-driven teens some of us were,
but as individuals embarking on the educational journey that needed a little
push to stay on track. The news of her passing deeply saddened me, but one
thing that I and all of her students will never forget is her genuine and warm
infectious smile. She will forever be in our hearts and minds.
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