Teacher Spotlight: Sonya Massengill

By Evie Fordham

English department head Sonya Massengill, who received her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction, English Education, from NC State University, teaches junior and senior English classes and enjoys it immensely.

“Teaching allowed me to balance family and career — and spend my days immersed in subjects that I love,” she elaborated, adding, “There’s always more to learn about the craft of teaching.”

Before being employed at Wake Christian, Dr. Massengill taught voice at UNC-Chapel Hill as well as private voice lessons. When her children grew older, she decided to try teaching middle school English.

“I loved middle school,” she explained, “But an experience performing with Christian Youth Theatre led to my interest in working with older students.”

Now she instructs the eldest students at Wake Christian Academy in literature and writing. In addition, she teaches first-year writing at Campbell University.

For Dr. Massengill, the most rewarding part of teachings is “when a student suddenly discovers a love for literature or begins to develop as a writer — well, it doesn’t get any better than that.”

She also tries to help her students understand the social and moral contexts of the works they study and then view those works through a Christian lens.

Dr. Massengill explained, “One of my favorite quotes is from Thomas Carlyle: ‘Literature is but a branch of religion, and always participates in its character.’  I want students to see literature as a reflection of the culture, including its religious and philosophical developments. It’s important to understand what a writer is trying to say, but that’s only the first step. Students then need to weigh those ideas in light of a Christian worldview.”