Morgan McKnight, 27, learned from example the ways in which a teacher can affect individual students’ lives.

She was born and raised in Lake Charles (now living in Iowa, La.) and attended A.M. Barbe High School. In school, she was eager to get to school and learn. Her positive experiences and devoted teachers motivated her to give back through a career in education. Her ultimate goal as a teacher? Help students develop in every sense of the word.

“I wanted to help students grow in more ways than just academically. … Teachers are more than just the people who teach the curriculum,” she explained. “We also teach the life skills and walk with them through their fundamental growth years.”

She kept her own education close to home and attended McNeese State University to earn a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She started out as a long-term sub and transitioned to a full-time teacher after graduating college.

McKnight has taught for three years now. Every one of those years has been spent at College Oaks Elementary School. There, she teaches second grade. This is a task that includes core knowledge language arts (CKLA), English language arts, math, science and social studies lessons.

Second grade is “amazing” to teach, she said, because her students are on the brink of experiencing independence.

“Although they are usually only 7 to 8 years old, they have an active imagination which they bring to all aspects of our lessons each day.”

As an educator, she knows firsthand that students evolve through the year in ways that are not limited to academics.

“Their personalities grow and blossom as they learn new concepts and strategies that they can use throughout school and real life.”

This growth is experienced in a classroom that is “another home,” a warm and inviting space for anyone who walks through the door. The room is bright and colorful. Students are greeted with flexible seating and a large library to cozy up in a liberating environment to learn and grow.

And in that home is a little family that abides by the golden rule.

“Students are expected to treat themselves and others in a way that they would like to be treated.”

Every student is free to grow outward in several directions, and not just academically.

“Some students can grow in communication, problem solving and independence,” she said. “While my job is to have my students grow academically, I also encourage growth in non-academic areas as well.”

A strong education system is the heartbeat of a community and it is important to keep that heart healthy. McKnight said educators shape students who become “problem solvers, independent thinkers and productive citizens.”

“Teachers are shaping young minds that can impact the community both inside and out. Once those students leave and educational setting, they take their knowledge with them into the real world where they will have to make decisions themselves,” she said.

In this vein, she said it is important that teachers remember their job is more than a job. It is a social role that has long-lasting effects.

“You have the potential to shape so many young minds. There will always be a student who will remember you and the hard work that you put into them.

“The work that you do inside the classroom can influence lives both inside and outside of an educational setting.”

McKnight is also a member of the school’s Program, Planning & Review team, and takes the time to promote the school’s culture through the school’s “Sunshine Club.”