TOWAMENCIN – Most teachers go to college to get their undergraduate degree, and then to graduate school to get a master’s degree in education, but for North Penn High School’s Mrs. Ellen McKee, that learning process has become a lifelong commitment.  McKee always knew she wanted to be able to study on a deeper level and teach students in class what she learns from her own classes. McKee’s undying love for English kept her driven, as it took her years of delaying her degree in order to finally reach her goals. McKee has finally finished her master’s thesis for a second masters in English, and it’s no surprise that it’s on her favorite novel Moby-Dick.

McKee always knew that she wanted to further her education beyond her Masters in Ed, but certain events in her life caused speed bumps, keeping her from finishing her classes at Arcadia. She wanted to receive her MAE (Masters of Arts in English) straight out of college, but then she got a teaching job. So after things settled down, she tried again, but then she got married and added two new stepdaughters into her life. Shortly after, she had another child, and the speed and force of taking care of a family took full storm. Juggling family life and work life were her main priorities until her kids got out of college. It finally seemed like the time was right to finish the program and get her degree, so McKee took the chance she had been waiting for since 1987.

There’s no question that McKee’s drive and persistence is admirable to say the least.

“I love teaching, but I also love literature, so I’ve never lost my desire to study it. With every grad class, I was always able to bring something new to my teaching, so that kept my teaching fresh for me as well, which I think is very important because the responsibilities of teaching can really weigh you down, but it reminds you of why you got into the profession in the first place. I would always come back from my classes at night with new ideas to teach my students in the morning, and that’s what kept me going.” explained McKee.

McKee studied at Arcadia under renown 88 year old professor Dr. Pradyumna Chauhan, an equally devoted educator whose lectures on literature are part of what fueled McKee’s own passion.

In order to get her MAE, McKee had to write an intensive paper on a famous work of  literature of her choice, so naturally she chose Moby-Dick. Because the novel by Herman Melville has been written about so extensively already, Mckee struggled to find original ideas to point out in her essay. After examining multiple ideas, McKee was finally content with one subject that would be her thesis: What was Moby-Dick saying about Manifest Destiny? Hungry to find Melville’s thoughts on politics, McKee filled her essay with 50 pages (size 11 font) worth of research. McKee didn’t just write about the novel because she simply adores it, she didn’t think she could do it justice while teaching it to her classes. Spending months analyzing it has helped her teach how powerful the Melville novel really is.

“Personally, I enjoyed Moby-Dick because I enjoyed listening to Mrs. McKee talk about her favorite book of all time. She gets so excited and does that thing where she runs her hand through her hair multiple times when she gets excited. Her passion for the novel motivated her to have a deeper insight that she could not wait to share with us.” reflected AP English student Madison Joyce.

Junior Nafisa Haque also shared her thoughts on her favorite teacher, stating, “Honestly, the book is probably super long and boring, but I didn’t exactly see it that way because Mrs. McKee’s enthusiasm and passion pervaded how she taught it… I felt Ahab’s madness and the overwhelming whiteness of the whale, and the whirlwind of the final chase when I read it because Mrs. McKee taught us to read Melville’s language and how to spot the underlying themes. I think she’s a big part of why I actually understood Melville’s themes and was able to connect to it because she didn’t make it easy for us to find, but it definitely encouraged us to read beyond the lines.”

In addition to the paper she started in June, McKee had to do 36 graduate credits by taking classes. So she was not only taking classes, but she was teaching them as well. It’s obviously no stretch to say the high school English teacher/ Arcadia graduate student adores education. Her hard work certainly paid off because her students seem to understand the novel similarly to how she does.

Despite the relief filled with finishing her thesis, McKee came across feelings questioning her purpose of putting herself through all this tough work. She reevaluated her situation every night, but always ended up with the same answer: she loves English too much to put off writing the essay.

“It was fun for the first parts, but three quarters of the way through, I discovered I had to do the not so fun parts of my paper.” shared McKee.

Regardless, McKee endured the extra long hours at her desk to perfect the best paper she has ever written. After taking 11 long months of writing, revising, and editing, McKee is proud to announce she received an A on her paper. As a culmination of that accomplishment, McKee is ecstatic to wear her cap and gown at graduation.

McKee believes it is important to be a life long learner. Some people can never get enough of education, and one thing is clear: McKee’s love for learning is infectious.