The Park Parent April-May 2013 - The Park School

Linda Knight, continued from page 1her life partner, Betsey Greenman.Upon returning to the United States, she accepted a jobteaching P.E. at The Park School. Over the course of her 40years on Goddard Ave., Linda has taught literally thousands ofstudents – from four-year-olds on balance beams to Grade VIjuggling classes. Linda is always measured and kind, and expectsevery student to make his or her best effort. On Linda’s very firstday in September 1973, she insisted that all the girls wear socks toP.E. “I remember that the girls complained vehemently about meand this requirement to Margo Smith, who was Assistant Head atthe time.” But Linda would not yield, and at the year-end athleticsaward ceremony, she received a bottle of champagne as a thankyou from the Grade IX girls, who had come to love and acceptMs. Knight.Socks were not the only change Linda brought to the P.E.curriculum. First, she and the department determined that theboys and girls would have co-ed classes – after all, it was 1973,the era of equal rights for women! In the spirit of equality, sheadded a Morris stick dance to May Day so boys could participate,too. By her second year, Linda had become the head of theP. E. Department. She took a fresh look at the pedagogy and skilldevelopment that students would encounter during their years atPark. Linda’s philosophy was to separate the essence of physicaleducation and athletics. “They really have two separate goals,”she explains. “P.E. is all about introducing kids to a wide arrayof activities and skills and encouraging them to participate. Wewant students to enjoy being active for life!” After-school sportsat the middle school level provide children a competitive experience,specialization, and choice, but they’re not for everyone.Linda notes that the athletic landscape has changed dramaticallyin 40 years. “The School only had 350 students when I arrived,”she says, “and there really weren’t any town sports to speak of, soeveryone supported the Park teams with gusto. Gymnastics werehuge in the 70s and 80s, and more than 100 kids participated in aSaturday gymnastics program that we ran.”Over time, Linda gravitated away from coaching and devotedmore of her time to teaching. “While I spent many years coachinggirls’ basketball, lacrosse, and field hockey, and co-ed gymnastics,I always had a passion for getting kids active and helping thosewith lesser skills succeed.”Since 1990, Linda Knight has also been synonymous withPark’s Internship in Teaching Program. Former Headmaster BobHurlbut started the program over 40 years ago with the intentionof letting well-educated young people try out teaching in anelementary school. “Most established internship programs werein high schools, and most had a required grad school component,”Linda explains. “Bob’s hope was to let recent college graduatesdiscover how much fun and rewarding teaching Park-agedstudents could be.” Under her leadership, Linda has endeavoredto maintain the original spirit of the Intern Program. “Bringingseven or eight bright, well-educated individuals to experienceteaching at Park every year is exhilarating,” she says. “And it’sincredibly rewarding to see so many former interns thrive as membersof the faculty,” recalling Melody Bartlett, Dorothea Black,Peter Bown, LaToya Downing-Peltier, Tracy Duliban, DanEberle, Kyra Fries, Liesl Gilman, Meg Lloyd, Paul Newmark,Jessica Niebuhr, Christian Porter, Jen Riley, Sarah Rose, RituSingh, Paul Toussaint, and Leah Walters among her protégés.Other former interns are making their mark on education acrossthe country – from Brendan Largay, head of Meadowbrook’smiddle school, to Ronnie Codrington, who assumed the helm ofthe Evergreen School in Seattle this year.“I’ve had the opportunity to wear many hats at Park,” Lindareflects, “which has allowed me to develop talents I didn’t evenknow I had. At Park, you don’t get pigeon-holed into your subjectarea.” Linda served on the first Faculty Compensation Committee,and in 1995, Linda coordinated the School’s AISNE re-accreditation,which proved to be a wonderful professional challengeAn exuberant Linda Knight has inspired and led students in a varietyof roles at Parkfor her. She has also served as a secondary school counselor, thedirector of scheduling, and as the head advisor for Grade VIIincluding leading the very first four-day class camping trip to Mt.Monadnock in 1975, known as Project REASON.While Linda knows she will miss both her students andcolleagues at Park, she is excited to jump into an active retirementwith Betsey. They are planning on more time in the garden,community service, and visiting family and friends. This summer,the outdoor lovers will begin splitting the year between theirsummer cottage in Port Clyde, Maine, and their off-season homein Orleans on Cape Cod. They are also planning to travel aroundthe U.S. to National Parks, and to Australia, New Zealand, andSwitzerland where they can enjoy walking and hiking. Bon voyageand bon chance, Linda, please stay in touch!The Park Parent // PAGE 8