Mr. Knight on a trip to Ecuador.
The world language hallway is always vibrant and colorful. Passionate teachers create an incredible environment for students to learn new languages and come to understand different cultures. The classrooms are well decorated and filled with life, but among these it’s never hard to tell which one is Mr. David Knight’s. His classroom is lively and there is never any question that students are having a great time learning Spanish. A Watauga alumnus himself, and a well-traveled one at that, Mr. Knight knows just the right way to make sure his students get the best education they can.
Mr. Knight's passion for Spanish goes back to his early childhood, when his family lived in New Mexico.
“I had always been around Spanish as a child in New Mexico,” Knight said. “We would even go to Mexico sometimes for the day.”
By the time he moved to Watauga he already had some idea of what he was passionate about and found someone to help nurture that passion in his Spanish teacher Ms. Appley.
“She took that spark that I had always had as a child and helped it to grow,” Knight said.
Mr. Knight’s knowledge of Spanish and love of languages has allowed him to travel all over North and South America.
“I have lived and worked in Mexico City, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Bolivia,” he said. “I’m drawn to Latin America.”
But it was a North Carolina school that helped him to find his second home.
“I was sponsored with a program called WorldView at UNC Chapel Hill. They choose a small number of North Carolina teachers for study abroad programs,” Knight said. “The teachers learn all about the economy, government, society, and education in the country they’re sent to.”
World View sent him to Costa Rica, a place that he would come to love, and where he met his wife.
“We have land there, my wife and I, and we grow all kinds of different foods,” Knight said. “It’s hard not to grow stuff there. One day when I retire, I will be living there with my wife as an expatriate.”
Mr. Knight’s love of Spanish has allowed him to find a new passion for a different country.
“We have toucans in our backyard and monkeys at the grocery store. I love it.”
Comments