Faculty Feature Rob Knight

Interviewed by Jennifer Thomas

Rob Knight has been teaching woodshop at Community School since 1997 and will retire at the end of the 2022-2023 school year. Before coming to Community, Rob was a clinical social worker at Child Center of Our Lady. “Becoming a woodworking teacher at an elementary school was not part of my plan regarding my career goals,” he recently shared. “My college degree and post-graduate training prepared me to work as a child therapist, primarily with abused children,” he said. “I was not looking to change careers; it just happened! Combining my passion for woodworking and helping children work creatively with their hands to become better thinkers has been like a magical dream come true.”

Rob’s involvement at Community extends far beyond the woodshop. For example, he helped start the Family Groups program, which builds groups comprised of a child from each grade (currently first through sixth grades) with a teacher. Groups remain the same year to year, and students develop wonderful friendships as they engage in activities and the older students mentor the younger ones. Rob recalled, “It was in my first year at Community, and we started by getting together for hot chocolate and doing craft activities. This was just before computers were being used, so we had to do all the groupings by hand!”

In addition to volunteering as a co-chair of the Family Groups Committee for many years, Rob has served as a co-chair of the Faculty Equity & Justice Committee, managed Community’s compost program, and built or refurbished furniture for the school. Rob and his wife Julie have three children, and they all graduated from Community School. Learn more about Rob’s background and work at Community in the interview below.

What inspired you to become a woodshop teacher? As a young child, I loved the opportunity to build and create things both useful and maybe not so useful. My dad would give me a brief lesson on the proper use of tools and safety, and then off I went making shields, swords, cars, airplanes, and boxes for all my junk. When finishing a project, I remember I felt a sense of accomplishment and pride; I think many of the students I have taught feel the same way.

My woodworking endeavors continued to grow as I went through high school and college. In high school, I had a brief industry of building custom speaker cabinets for my peers, and in college, I would make bookcases, shelves, and storage units for students living in dorms.

Why is woodshop important for students to learn? A woodshop is a special place for children to learn many life lessons and to be creative. Woodworking provides a tangible way for students to problem-solve, and their confidence grows as they figure out ways to fix their mistakes. Working deliberately with your hands can be stimulating and relaxing; many students find working in the woodshop therapeutic. My teaching partner, Joe Mohr, and I constantly encourage students to be reflective about their efforts, attitude, and finished projects. Starting in first grade, students keep a journal that helps them organize their work and use it to write short reflective thoughts.

Share a favorite Community School memory. Today, I am thinking back about 16 years ago when a snowstorm descended upon the St. Louis area during the morning commute to school, which caused many students and teachers to either be absent from school or arrive much later in the day. For most of the morning, I had the pleasure of helping supervise the students when sled riding; well, actually, I did a lot of sled riding myself.

What will you miss most about Community? The joy of the students. It’s a very joyful place. I’ll also miss working with Joe. It was great when he came on board as a co-teacher; we have a lot of fun working together.

If you could pick another subject to teach, what would it be?

I have always enjoyed cooking, so I’d work in the kitchen and maybe have a cooking class!

Why work at Community? I seriously cannot think of a better place to work. In all my years here, the administration has continuously supported my personal and family needs. Teachers are also very supportive of each other and passionate about teaching their subject area. Positive energy radiates from students and teachers, and no matter what classroom you enter, there is excitement and eagerness to learn new things.

What advice would you share with someone starting as a new employee at Community? Take the first year to listen, observe, and ask lots of questions. Also, don’t be afraid to add your voice and opinions. I’ve been a mentor to several teachers, and I always tell them that.

What are your hobbies? Gardening, cooking, building and riding bikes, hiking, and of course, woodworking! I am also an amateur audiophile; I have several shelves filled with stereo and Hi-Fi equipment. Listening to music is also an essential part of my life; it is more than a hobby.

What is something you are looking forward to in retirement? It’s going to be like being a kid again. I look forward to getting up and not worrying about things getting done during the day. I will have the freedom to play – it’ll be grown up play. I will also enjoy more time visiting my grandchildren. I have two and one on the way.