Using Lessons from the Gale Scholars Program, Chris Carpenter ’08 Gives Back to His Students

Chris Carpenter ’08, among the first to complete the Gale Scholars Program, applies lessons from the program both in his life and as a teacher. Carpenter currently teaches in Oneida, in the ROWVA School District, after 12 years in Galesburg. 

“I was always very honored being a Gale Scholar, so I wanted to give back to the community for that tremendous honor,” Carpenter said. 

What does the Gale Scholars Program mean to you? Could you describe your experiences with the program?

The Gale Scholars Program was kind of the backbone of who I am today. It taught me the value of giving back, as we completed 20 hours of community service. It also put me in connection with some really great people; the guy who runs the program now, Steve Cheesman, was my eighth-grade teacher, and eventually I replaced him in his classroom at Churchill Junior High School. That was a cool moment when I was in Galesburg. 

Additionally, in our summer program, we learned the history of Galesburg, which got me to appreciate the founding of the town and how one of the primary reasons they established it was for Knox College. Being part of that history in Galesburg means a lot to me.

Paying it forward and being a community pillar are key lessons for Gale Scholars. How do you apply this approach to your students, both in the program and your current classroom?

That means a lot to me, and I think it’s a big reason I became a teacher. Back in eighth grade, never in a million years would I have guessed I would be a teacher. But while I was at Knox, I was a Beta, and one of the things we did was volunteer at the local elementary school. Through that volunteering, I started to see how much kids gravitated towards me, which really changed my mind and made me realize that teaching was the route I needed to go. Giving back now is part of my service-learning class. I have always been a grateful and appreciative person, coming from a meager background; many kids in my situation did not have the same opportunities. I was always very, very blessed and grateful that I was chosen as a part of the first few classes of the Gale Scholars Program.

What does a Knox education mean to you?

Steve Cheesman said it best: he said Knox was the Harvard of the Midwest. Back in eighth grade, I knew Harvard was a really, really good school, so that piqued my interest. I was a very good student in high school and ranked near the top of my graduating class. But when I got to Knox, it showed me I didn’t know how to study. It was very rigorous, and it really taught me a lot about myself. I participated in football and wrestling there, and all those experiences made me more appreciative of the opportunity I had to succeed. 

From an early age, I knew school was going to be the way—I just didn’t know how. I always loved school, and it was my vehicle to change my surroundings.

How important has mentorship been to you, both as a mentee and a mentor?

Mentorship is something I love. Inspiring others to do what I’ve done, or more, means everything. Alongside Knox, wrestling shaped me. I helped build wrestling in Knox County, Knoxville, Alexis, ROWVA, and suggested it in Abingdon, which adopted it last year. Using what helped me succeed while being an instrument of change means a lot to me.

In your view, how do extracurriculars and experiences influence success in and out of the classroom?

There are many things in sports that translate into the classroom. From my years of teaching, there are kids who need that outlet. It's more active. Sometimes education can be kind of passive. When I was younger, I had no concept of where anything was, and sports allowed me to get out and see other places, which helped me open my horizons. It helped teach me the value of hard work and teamwork, all those things that translate into a job eventually.

As graduation approaches, do you have any words of wisdom that are meaningful to you or that you like to share?

That’s the best part of my job: I get to do this with kids every day, and I have a lot to share with them. Some of the words I like to impart are, get comfortable being uncomfortable. 

There’s so much in life where we want to be comfortable, but there are so many times when your best growth comes from those uncomfortable situations, and that’s kind of the beauty of life. The other thing I learned is to take risks. I went to the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, and that was what he promoted to students. He has a slide in the middle of his school where he tells kids to take risks, and that kind of stuck with me. 

Looking back on my life, the Gale Scholars Program was a huge risk for me. I didn’t know if I would get it, and I was shocked when I did. Throughout my life, some of the greatest things that have happened to me were because I wasn’t afraid to take those risks and see what was possible.