What are you afraid of?

We won’t need to use our well-learned inference skills to justify that this teacher is a real idol. 

 

If I asked you to name a universal fear, what would come to your mind first? Snakes, spiders, heights?

Turns out, despite fears being selective, we all share a fear and an intense hatred for one thing in common: change. Change comes in all different shapes and sizes, and for Rachael Knowlson, she found out what her change was: starting at The Appleton School.

 

On September 4th, Mrs R Knowlson started her new teaching journey at The Appleton School, with her twenty-four years religious teaching experience to support her. She bought many resources with her, but the one thing she didn’t expect the students to be so attentive to was her relatability; it was clear she bought more than PowerPoints and seating plans with her, but stories of culture and society that helped her students settle in the new, but inviting environment that Rachael Knowlson had solely worked hard to make.

 

When thinking of The Appleton School, what comes to mind? Thought of anything yet? Can you guess what Rachael first thought of? If not, I’ll tell you… the challenge that comes with it! When asked what she looked forward to when going to Appleton, she expressed: “The challenge of facing something different, trying something new.”

 

In her old school, Rachael Knowlson was faced with teaching and mentoring children of all ages, backgrounds, difficulties and personalities. Now, in The Appleton School, she faces these challenges similarly, but to her dismay, she faced some unexpected, unfamiliar challenges. When recalling what she found difficult, she actually found it easier to shine a positive light onto the school and likewise its students, stating: “It [The Appleton School] was smaller than my last school…pupils were very polite,” or even “Finding my way around, even with a map, everyone is very helpful with direction.” It seems she cannot speak without complimenting something in the same breath, something her mindful students have definitely picked up! 

 

Just as her name suggests, Mrs Knowlson knows exactly what she wants her students to take away from her lessons: she states “I hope it encourages an open mind, tolerance and understanding of our community. Encourage students to question the world we live in and look for their own answers. To embrace the beliefs and non-beliefs of community and recognition of our differences.”