By Virginia B. Ward

In 1986 the first Teacher Cadet class at James Island High eagerly awaited the arrival of their college partner. In walked a man who could dwarf football players. His attire included an open-necked shirt and sandals. Instead of introducing himself as Dr. Bower, he said, "I’m Ken." From the very first class the students knew they were in the presence of a man of paradoxes-a masculine figure who could be gentle as a baby; a genius who sought the knowledge of adolescents; a professor who represented a historical college but was on the cutting edge of restructuring schools.

It is Ken who masterminded the Teacher Cadet curriculum. He envisioned its structure, one that consisted of three large sections: The Learner, The Teacher, The School. This idea seems so simple, but it gave the curriculum a framework that has lasted almost two decades. It was Ken who created the lesson format, making it so easy for a teacher to have everything from the objective to the activities to the assessment at his fingertips in a three-ring binder. It was Ken who said, "Let’s start out with a ‘Know Thyself’ unit." Today’s best seller entitled The Courage to Teach is based on the same premise-one cannot relate to his students without first knowing himself. As Teacher Cadets get to know one another better, a bonding takes place, making the material more meaningful and memorable. It is what creates the "TC Family" that so many Cadets call their classes. It was Ken who said, "We need a unit on self-esteem. Then the Cadets can create and perform puppet shows to demonstrate their knowledge." For years now high school seniors have performed in elementary schools, enthralling little children with homemade stages and handmade puppets that come alive to tell them how special they were. The list goes on: creating model day care centers, designing elementary school brochures, role playing parents dealing with troubled teens, writing children’s books on barriers to learning.

Incorporated throughout the curriculum are Ken’s beliefs--the belief that the mediocre student can thrive when challenged, the belief that students and teachers need choices, the belief that the truly educated person is an avid reader, the belief that everyone should be treated with dignity and respect.

Ken, Jan Black, and I were hired to write the first Teacher Cadet curriculum. As page after page was recorded, we observed as Ken abounded with fresh ideas, obtained the perfect resources, and knew the exact activities that would make better future teachers, better future parents, better future citizens. Ken named the Teacher Cadet curriculum Experiencing Education. The key word is "experiencing." Ken placed great value on people actively engaged in their own learning processes.

He continued to amaze me not only as a curriculum writer but also as an instructor. When one of the Teacher Cadets lost her mother, the whole class was grief stricken. Ken taught them how to deal with their grief. When one of the Teacher Cadets was seriously ill due to depression and anorexa nervosa, he led her to professional help. When the Teacher Cadets were taking themselves all too seriously, he used humor to evoke laughter that made their bellies ache and their eyes water.

When he led the way in writing the first edition of Experiencing Education, computers, e-mails, and FAXes weren’t at our fingertips to the extent that they are today. We were challenged with the limited technology of the time. But little did Ken know, or I know, or anyone at the South Carolina Center for Teacher Recruitment know that that curriculum, updated periodically, would be in 150 South Carolina high schools and in classrooms of fifteen states at the time of his death. Little did he know how it would have such a positive impact on so many teachers and students. Henry Adams is famous for his well known saying, "A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." Ken has positively impacted eternity in schools, colleges, homes, and businesses throughout the nation.

It was Ken who gave the Teacher Cadet curriculum its conclusion. It’s called a Quaker Farewell. Although Ken was not a Quaker, he studied with and was powerfully influenced by those of this faith. The first year he was with my Teacher Cadets he ended our course by sitting everyone in a circle, addressing each by name, and telling every student, one by one, why he loved him or her. In the process he pointed out a special act or admirable trait of all gathered around him. You can only imagine the tears! Then he gave us this Quaker good-by. With hands joined, we said in unison, "May the light of love shine upon you, All love surround you, May the pure light within you guide you all the way home."

And so here is a Quaker Farewell for you, Ken. "Ken, we love you. We love the fact that a man with such a cluttered office could have such organized thoughts. We love you because you not only preached nonconformity; you modeled it with your individuality. We love you because when we doubted that we had the courage or the abilities to accomplish some great feat, you erased our doubts and raised our self- confidence. We love you because through those you loved and blessed during your life, you continue to touch and bless the lives of others even after your death. Your TC family joins together now to say to you, ‘May the light of love shine upon you, Ken. May all love surround you, Ken. May the pure light within you guide you all the way home’."