Sally Knight
English, Director of Writing
Head Coach Boys Varsity Cross Country
Faculty member since 1981
B.A. Wesleyan University
M.A.L.S. Wesleyan University
What drew you to Loomis?
I really wanted to do something with my English degree and was running competitively at the time. I thought getting into publishing would be a great avenue to pursue, but that meant living in a city, probably New York City, and running there at the time wasn’t as safe as it is now. I decided to look at teaching positions instead. After a wonderful afternoon of interviews, I gladly accepted the opportunity to work and coach here. One of the great appeals of being a teacher and a coach at Loomis is that I am able to invest myself intellectually in the academic side of things while remaining very involved in the running community that exists at Loomis.
What synergy do you notice between being a classroom teacher and being a coach?
I try to be clear with athletes about goals and how we can reach them. I explain to them why we are doing certain workouts and why it’s strategic. I want my athletes to understand it, own it, and then make it happen. It works in reverse as well. I look at my class as being a team; not everyone will be at the same level but what everyone is doing impacts the success of the class.
How did you decide to pursue a career in English?
I have always loved to read and write; I remember vividly my parents teaching me how to read. I grew up in the South Pacific, in the Kingdom of Tonga, and there weren’t any TVs or radios but there was a Mormon church. Once a week, I would go to the church and pick up seven books, then the next week, I would go back, return those, and another seven would come off the shelf. It seemed to just make sense for me that I would pursue English.
What has been your most rewarding experience at Loomis?
Working at Loomis lends itself to having many different roles. Working in Carter Hall (an underclass girls dorm) allows me to be around freshmen and sophomore girls and experience the boarding life and become acquainted with the young female population that lives here. Coaching the boys track team allows me to see freshmen, sophomore, junior, and senior boys in an extracurricular and competitive environment. Teaching the writing workshop allows me to be a part of the academic and intellectual life that is on campus. It’s hard to really pin down one rewarding experience; I would say that it’s more of the sum of the way in which Loomis life comes together.
Some other rewarding experiences would include an exchange year that I spent teaching at Scotch College in Melbourne, Australia, winning the Buhl grant, being given the honor of being the Loomis Memorial Instructor in English, and becoming part of the Hall of Fame at Wesleyan.