A Tradition in Teaching

The Eagleton family is part of King School’s DNA. Collectively, they have 85 years at the school.

Grade 3 teacher Ellen Eagleton has been a faculty member for 32 years. Her three children—Molly ’16, Caroline ’19, and Grace ’24—arrived at King’s faculty day care before their first birthdays. This year, Molly is bringing new meaning to the term “lifer” as she returns to campus to follow in her mother’s footsteps as a lower school teacher.

“My mom is the main reason I became a teacher,” Molly said. “Her dedication to her students and her craft is something I am in awe of every day. I look to her for guidance, support, and ideas because she has spent so many years in the field and has found ways to grow and evolve over the years.”

For Molly, it is especially helpful to have her mother as a mentor. For Ellen, it is emotional.

“Our family is very excited to have Molly working at King,” Ellen said. “I feel honored to have the opportunity to watch her grow as an educator and see her learn from so many of my amazing colleagues.”

Returning to King was always part of Molly’s plan. As she studied education at Goucher College, she was in constant contact with her mother, asking for her insights on lesson plan development, teaching as a practice, and problemsolving.

“I became a teacher because of the teachers I had at King,” she said. “My teachers always took the time to make sure I felt supported and was set up for success. I knew from a young age that I wanted to help other children feel supported and that their classroom was a place that fostered their growth both as learners and people.”

She described her return to campus as a Kindergarten teacher as “surreal.”

“It was an indescribable feeling of time passing but also picking back up where I had left off,” she said. “When I arrived as a teacher, it was such a warm and welcoming experience. I felt like I had come back home.”

Every nook of the campus harbors a personal connection for Molly, who can associate a space with every stage of her formative life.

“Spending 18 years of my life here, and going through all my milestones in these walls, helped me define who I am and who I wanted to be,” she said. “I have a unique perspective of knowing exactly how my students feel while sitting in what was my Kindergarten classroom all those years ago.”

Despite the familiarity, former teachers are now her peers, and Molly is finding it hard to transition to first-name interactions.

“Every teacher I had over my time at King inspired me in one way or another, both as a person and a teacher,” she said, adding that upper school math teacher Bill Wallace was particularly resonant. “He taught me the importance of taking the time to know who your students are as learners and as people,” Molly said. “He took the time to understand what I was interested in and what motivated me as a learner. I will never forget the difference he made in my life and the love of learning he instilled in me.”

But her mother still has the most influence.

“The genuine joy I see in someone’s face when they say to me, ‘Your mom taught me!’ is reflective of her incredible teaching abilities,” Molly said. “To be able to work with my mom every day is a gift that I will never take for granted. I am excited to continue learning from her and seeing firsthand the difference she continues to make in her students’ lives.”

Molly’s success as a teacher reinforces what her mother knew about the King education.

“Her life at King helped develop the skills that have prepared her to reach her full potential,” Ellen said, recognizing Head of School Carol Maoz and Head of Lower School Sandy Lizaire-Duff. “I feel very grateful to King, and especially to Sandy and Carol, for giving Molly the opportunity to join the King family as a faculty member.”