ESK Voices: Pansie Evans

Our culture of lifelong learning begins with our faculty. We hire teachers who are experts in their subject area and passionate about sharing their knowledge with students. We then commit to their professional development to assure they are always expanding their knowledge base in both their subject area and how to best engage students in the classroom. Students can feel the authenticity of their teachers’ interest in them and their subject. Our culture of trust, honesty, integrity, and close faculty/student relationships creates an atmosphere of safety and personal well-being where extraordinary learning takes place. In our ESK Voices series, you will get a unique look at the faculty that make ESK what it is.

Today, we continue with Lower School physical education teacher Pansie Evans.

See below for more from Mrs. Evans.

What is your favorite part of the school day and why?

My favorite part of the school day happens over and over, many times a day. It’s when my students come in for their P.E. class. I love the enthusiasm when the walk through the door, they see what we’re doing and I hear “I love this game!” “Great, Mrs. Evans! What’re we doing today?!” And then there are always the hugs.

How do you incorporate your personal interests into your teaching methods or activities?

Playing my favorite sports and games is the main way I incorporate my personal interests, but then I also have a creative side and I love holidays. Every holiday is a celebration. For example at Christmas I turn the gymnasium into a Winter Wonderland and we have a giant blow up snowman, ice skating on paper plates, and Christmas lights. These are activities named with a Christmas theme, but the students are practicing skills that they don’t even realize they’re practicing.

What aspect of teaching at ESK are you most passionate about?

I guess I realize every day that teaching at ESK is a gift. I love the faculty I work with; everyone is so motivated and creative and eager, so we are very much like a family. We are there to support one another and if someone has an idea everyone is on board to pitch in. I love that other people are passionate about what they’re doing just like I’m passionate about being in the gym teaching P.E. The excitement is just contagious from all the teachers and I love that.

When did you decide to become a teacher and why did you make that decision?

I always played school as kid, not necessarily P.E., but I always played school. I recall a comment that one of my elementary teachers wrote on my report card and that was that I loved to play. I love to jump rope, I love sports and games, and I love the socialization. I think that she wanted me to focus a little more on academics, but what she didn’t realized was that I was in this for a lifetime. So I guess I’ve always wanted to play.

What day during the school year do you look forward to the most and why?

It’s kind of odd for me to say, but it’s the last day of school. It’s not because I’m ready to for school to be over, but it’s the tradition of ESK on the last day of school. That’s the day of our 8th grade graduation and the girls are dressed in beautiful white dresses with purple and white bouquets and the boys have purple ties on. The whole school comes together to celebrate where they’ve come from and where they’re going. When the 8th graders stand up and speak about all that they’ve learned at ESK, as a teacher your heart just swells with pride because you know you had a small part in that, all of us working together as a team along with their parents. I just love that day because it makes me feel a part of something big because I know we’re sending our 8th graders out into to the world to do great things.

Do you have a child/story which captures something you believe makes ESK special?

Well from the P.E. point of view, I think about the students who come into the gym and aren’t the athletic kids, but the ones who aren’t as comfortable with their movement. I’m probably best at is being a cheerleader and I just say “You can do it!” “I don’t want to hear ‘I can’t’” “Come on! I know you can!” and they do. I just see them grow in their confidence and then I see them out on the basketball court when they’re in Middle School. I know that it’s a gift for them to be here and get opportunities that they might have gotten at a bigger school. So those success stories of kids who start believing in themselves are really special to me.

What significant changes have you seen at ESK since you began your career here?

Well since I’ve been here 14 years, I‘ve seen a lot of different thing. I guess the word that just sums it up is growth. I mean, growth from our student body population, when I first came here we had the cottages that were classrooms, now we have these awesome facilities, the Lower School and Middle School. We’ve just grown in so many huge ways that I look back on where we have come in such a short period of time and can’t help but be excited about where you know we’re going. It’s just exciting to see that growth that’s been baby steps, but giant steps at the same time.