Two decades of teaching teachers: Dr. Rebecca Lucas brings her MC career to a close
April 19, 2023
She’s not ready to go home, but she’s not staying here: After 21 years of service to Maryville College, beloved education professor Dr. Rebecca Lucas is scheduled to retire in August.
“I will teach the Educational Technology course this summer (taking place from June 1 through Aug. 17) and then turn in my Maryville College laptop,” Lucas said. “I have no idea what’s next for me, but I’d like to try something new and different. I’ve looked at opportunities with educational technology companies and social justice organizations. All I know is that I’m not ready to go home. I want to work and continue to serve in some way.”
Those closest to Lucas — “Becky,” as she’s known to friends — won’t be surprised by her continued determination to make a difference. It is, after all, something she’s been doing all her life. Winning the title of Miss Corbin High School during her senior year in Corbin, Kentucky, opened her eyes to the ways in which young adults can shortchange themselves without the support of educators who step up to make a difference.
“I was shocked to win, and at our awards ceremony, I received several scholarships and recognitions,” she said. “I had no idea I would be awarded, and I was super surprised when I walked into the assembly and saw that my mother had taken off work to attend. I thought that was so unnecessary and felt guilty that she was missing work in the midst of her tax season (mom was one of few women business owners in my town and owned a CPA firm).
“My principal had invited her because I had earned a large number of awards, and I remember that I thought, ‘This is so surreal!’ They kept calling me on stage, over and over, and I walked away thinking things like, ‘How did I get all of these awards?’ I say all of that to emphasize the depth of imposter syndrome for kids raised in middle-class families and families with less than enough.”
Inspiration leads to a career
At Western Kentucky University, it took a bit to find her lane, she added. She jettisoned the idea of majoring in computer science because it didn’t have enough of a social component for the gregarious undergrad; flunking a math course changed her mind about a secondary math track. While observing a special education class at Bowling Green High School, however, she found her calling.
“I was enamored by the innocence, vulnerability and authenticity of those students,” she said. “I fell in love and changed my major to special education with a focus on learning and behavior disorders. I really enjoyed working with students who struggled with behavior disorders.”
After graduation, her first teaching job was on the adolescent girls’ unit and in the school for day treatment patients at Cumberland Hall Psychiatric Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. The latter involved working with middle and high school students court-ordered to attend as part of a treatment plan, and she still recalls with fondness the names of those whose lives impacted her own as much as she did theirs. Charles, she said, once stole 100 Grand candy bars from an inner-city market in his Nashville neighborhood because he knew how much Lucas loved them. Because he avoided in-school fights for a predetermined amount of time, James received the reward of being chauffeured to his basketball game by Lucas, who drove him home to a Nashville housing project and received safe passage because James spread the word: “Miss Rebecca” was to be left alone.
And then, she added, there was Christy, a “very rough, defiant, traumatized middle schooler.”
“I couldn’t get her to do any work in my class,” she added. “We spent many afternoons talking about her dreams of escaping a terrible home situation. One afternoon, she was painting her nails bright red in class at the end of the day. The next day she was dead. I was watching Nashville news that evening and heard reporters talking about a knife fight that had left one teen dead.
“It was Christy, who had been fighting an adult woman over a man and died on the sidewalk. I attended her visitation, which was held in the back of a small grocery store. Christy was laid out in what looked like a refrigerator box. Her perfectly painted red nails were scuffed, and her hands were still bloody. I loved that girl.”
After completing her Ph.D. at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in 2000, Lucas moved to Maryville in search of a small-town vibe and a strong school system for her three children: Noah, 8 at the time; Caleb, who was 6; and Abi, 2. She worked part-time for Tennessee Infant Parent Services, educating parents about skills needed to better assist and nurture special needs babies, and in 2002, she heard of an opening in the Maryville College Division of Education.
A home at MC
The shoes to fill were big ones — the late Dr. Marcia Keith, the division chair, had recently retired, and her reputation as a “beloved and feared educator icon,” Lucas said, was slightly intimidating. Such challenges, however, have always presented opportunities for personal and professional growth, she added, and so she applied for the position and began her MC journey at the beginning of the 2002-03 academic year.
“I’m honored to have served with the finest educators in this state,” she said. “The Division of Education has been recognized over and over again by the Tennessee Department of Education as a model program for aspiring educators. For many years, Dr. Terry Simpson, Dr. Alesia Orren and I served the mission of the program by making personal sacrifices when necessary, because Terry’s leadership instilled in us the importance of the work we were doing.
“We believed wholeheartedly that our work mattered to our students, but also to those K-12 students being served by our grads. We were three very diverse personalities joining together for a common goal! Those goals of excellence continue as the foundation for the team we have in place now. Each of us has the singular goal of creating high-quality educators who are ready to teach and serve all students on day one in the classroom. Dr. (Cynthia) Gardner (associate professor of education and director of teacher education) has continued to demand excellence from each of us and of herself.
“Every Education graduate who gives back by mentoring student teachers, interviewing prospective candidates or hosting classroom observations is an essential member of our team,” she added. “ For our candidates, there is an expectation that they carry on the legacy of those that came before them. There is no room for complacency or laziness in this elite club. That is why we continue to produce incredible educators.”
A profound impact in and out of the classroom
And those educators, however far they’ve gone both career-wise and geographically, remain grateful for seeds of curiosity and knowledge nurtured by Lucas.
“Although the classes she taught more than prepared me for teaching, her influence beyond the classroom had an even greater impact on my life,” said Miranda Talley Thomas ’07, a veteran of both the Maryville and Alcoa school systems in Blount County. “She grew my confidence through constant encouragement as I began my career. She continued to reach out to me so that I could stay involved in MC’s program. She modeled what a powerful, influential female could look like in our community. She challenged me in my thinking about social justice. She modeled bravery in making huge life changes to pursue happiness. And she has consistently checked in on me during difficult seasons of life.”
By making those connections with her students, Lucas modeled a trait that makes the Maryville College Division of Education so distinctive and respected: The understanding that teaching is a far greater calling than the simple transfer of academic knowledge from instructor to pupil.
“I learned more in a year as a student under Dr. Lucas than I ever could have imagined, and she showed me that having a personal connection to your students is the best way to impact their lives,” said Luke Wheat ’19, a Spanish teacher at the Webb School of Knoxville. “While teaching me, she went out of her way to find the positive in every situation and kept compassion at the forefront of our discussions. This kept me motivated and driven to be the best educator I could be. Dr. Lucas’s positive impact on education in East Tennessee will be felt for years to come through her students, and I am proud to say I am one of them.”
“Dr. Lucas and her entire family have positively impacted the trajectory of my future both personally and professionally,” added LeSean “Seanny” Brannon ’11, who currently works as a math professional development specialist with Curriculum Associates. “When I was a sophomore, I declared as an Elementary Education major. Toward the end of that year, finances became rough, and I knew I would not be able to return to MC. Dr. Lucas believed in me so much that her family began to help support me financially by allowing me to complete odd jobs and they contributed to my tuition. It is solely because of their generosity and thoughtfulness that I was able to remain at MC for so long.”
Repeatedly, former students recall how Lucas had a soft spot in her heart for the underprivileged and underserved, for marginalized individuals who struggled to find their place in higher education and in life. Through her efforts, many of them said, they went on to successful careers.
“Rebecca Lucas opened her office and her heart to me as a first-time college student from ‘the wrong side of the tracks,’” said blogger, freelance journalist and content writer Cherese Cobb ’13. “She is the most open, loving, and caring person I have ever met. Aside from teaching me how to navigate the online world and introducing me to diverse groups of people, Dr. Lucas always came to the rescue when I needed her most.
“When my mom went into kidney failure in September 2013, she drove me to Blount Memorial Hospital. When my car broke down around the same time, she would pick me up for my night classes at Maryville College. After graduating, we worked together on her Educational Technology classes. Dr. Lucas always researched the newest educational technology trends to ensure her students came out on top. Then in March 2023, intense pain from the past resurfaced in my life, so I asked Dr. Lucas if she would be willing to talk. She non-judgmentally listened to me for an hour, giving me ideas to improve the future and heal my emotional scars. She gave me a priceless gift: hope. Her superpower is finding a rainbow in a hurricane.”
An advocate for all at MC
Such gifts made Lucas as much of a valued member of the MC faculty outside of the classroom as well, particularly for those students who identify as LGBTQ. Early on in her MC journey, Lucas said, an unofficial club known as CLOSET served as the College’s gay-straight alliance, and the proposal of accepting it as an official student organization became a passion project for Lucas and others, she said.
“There were several community forums around the decision to recognize CLOSET or not,” she said. “It was intense and heartbreaking to see our students weather that storm. I couldn’t believe that so many smart, kind people were afraid of having this student group meet officially as an MC club. It was also a time when those of us who were here witnessed greatness, courage, and so much grace in the voices of our students. In those early years, MC was not nurturing, supportive or protective of our LGBTQ students. Tony Murchison ’03, Jen Rock ’03 and many other strong students led the way, and the campus culture evolved. When we know better, we do better.”
“Her authenticity and vulnerability during that season made me appreciate and respect her,” Brannon added. “This encouraged me to ‘come out’ to my immediate family. Although it wasn’t as welcoming as I would’ve thought, I knew I could rely on the love and support from Dr. Lucas and her family.”
Knowledge leads to self-awareness, and self-awareness leads to change: That, Lucas said, is at the heart of what it means to be an educator. That she’s practiced it in her own life, helped her MC peers apply it at the College, and instilled it in her students throughout her career is a worthy legacy, and it’s intertwined with so many of her fondest MC memories, she added: helping CLOSET earn official recognition; converting the Division of Education to a fully digital protocol; honoring Education graduates for their achievements; feting deserving peers like Simpson; and watching her own children flourish as Scots.
“Caleb earned two-time All-American honors as an MC Scot, and I was able to watch Abi grow into a confident, fierce young woman with the support of her mentors — Dr. Karen Beale, Dr. Alesia Orren, Dr. Crystal Colter, Vandy Kemp and others,” she said. “Noah spent many years at the soccer camps organized by (Coach) Pepe (Fernandez), grew up playing on campus and took one class with Scott Steele.
“More than anything, I’ve enjoyed finding ways to deliver support to diverse students in times of need. I will miss our campus in the springtime. I will miss the intense and productive class planning sessions with my ‘work wife,’ Dr. Orren. I will miss collaborating with colleagues in areas related to community engagement, technology and DEI. I feel very fortunate that I have spent the last 21 years in this place with these special people. It’s been an honor.”
A drop-in retirement celebration for Lucas will take place from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 26, in the Morningside Room at RT Lodge, 1406 Wilkinson Pike, located in the Maryville College Woods. Friends and former students are invited to attend.
