How Does Watson Influence Change

When Katherine Watson arrived at Wellsley College in the 1950’s, her primary goal was to inspire change in the students. Her first day was anything but easy, but Ms. Watson didn’t give up. Professor Watson was unlike any professor the students at Wellsley had ever had, and they had a hard time understanding her unique approach to teaching and life. As the school year progressed, the students became more accepting of Ms. Watson’s foreign ideas, and they even came to appreciate her not only as a professor but also as a person. Before Ms. Watson entered into the lecture hall on the first day of classes, a teacher who is later found out to be her roommate, Amanda Armstrong, told Ms. Watson to be careful because the students can smell fear. This small yet impactful piece of “advice” did not help boost Professor Watson’s confidence. Instead, this statement made Ms. Watson feel timid and afraid of what was to come. Unfortunately, her first class did not go well. The students had already read the entire textbook and looked over the syllabus, so they believed that they already knew everything Ms. Watson had to teach them. They were

Not only had she taught them to think on their own, but also to challenge what they had been taught. The alumni and faculty of Wellsley College did not approve of Ms. Watson’s teaching style and forced her to either leave the school or change her way of teaching. With this, Ms. Watson realized that Wellsley College was not a good fit for her and because she was unwilling to compromise what she believed in to please the school, Ms. Watson stood up for her beliefs and left Wellsley College. Several of the alumni and staff at the school called Ms. Watson a “quitter” and an “aimless wanderer” for leaving. The faculty felt threatened by Ms. Watson. She challenged their way of thinking and had made a larger impact on the students than anyone else had ever