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Bruce Knost

by Carrie from Dublin

I think a hero should be kind, understanding, creative, intelligent, and respectful. A hero is someone you look up to. A hero can be a teacher, a friend, a family member, or someone you have never even met. A hero can be someone from a comic book, or can be a firefighter. He or she can be a superstar, or just be your babysitter. A hero is a special kind of role model. A hero knows when to not do something stupid like drugs. My hero just happens to be my fourth grade teacher, Mr. Knost.

Mr. Knost was more than just a teacher to me. He was like a friend, a friend that was always there and ready to help. We would watch an episode from The Voyage of the Mimi, every Friday. Mr. Knost is a fourth grade teacher at Bailey Elementary. He has three children and his wife is also a teacher.

Mr. Knost demonstrated all the qualities that I think a hero should have. Mr. Knost demonstrated kindness when two other kids and I did not understand a math assignment. He let the other kids do quiet reading while he worked with us in the hallway for an hour. Mr. Knost demonstrated understanding when I accidentally left my homework at home. He also understood when I was sad because my hamster had died.

Mr. Knost was creative all the time. Instead of being taught how to use coordinates by the book, he taught us by giving us a list of coordinates that made a picture. We actually had centers where we could move from place to place. I hadn’t had centers since first grade. They were learning centers, though, for writing, computers, library, math, and puzzles. He had over fifty puzzles. After we finished one he would display it for everyone to see. Mr. Knost is also very intelligent. He knows all about marine biology, whales, the ocean, and the world's water supply. He went to school so he could teach kids how to read and write. He also got college degrees to be able to teach.

Mr. Knost is respectful to everyone and the planet. He was in charge of the conservation club at my school with another teacher. We have a land lab at our school. Mr. Knost helped to get that built. One day he took us to the land lab. He told us to look for cicada wings. He told us that we were not allowed to kill a cicada for its wing and that we were not allowed to hurt any of the wildlife.

Mr. Knost is and will probably always be my hero. Unfortunately, he is moving to another school. He was the person who made me think about what I want to be when I’m older: a teacher. Even though he is moving, I am very happy because I know he will touch many more lives.

Page created on 6/16/2006 4:07:01 PM

Last edited 6/16/2006 4:07:01 PM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.