Something I'm Proud of
- Christine Taylor Kight
- Jun 5
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 18
Recent Application Question
The Prompt
On an application for an AI Tutor role with xAI, I was presented the prompt, "In 100 words or less, tell us about a piece of work you are most proud of."
My Answer
I began home-educating my boys at 6 and 8. Using a combination of curated resources, curriculum I developed, and arranged apprenticeships -- I taught them 30 recurring subjects spanning 8 disciplines. I also invented an autonomous-workflow tool; an innovative tracking and portfolio system; and other original tools, strategies and resources. These tools facilitated my boys’ dual-enrollment in college at 14 and 16, after which they graduated high-school with state-diplomas, and entered college as full-time students. Their high-school education exceeded ALL state requirements, and they began their freshman year with over 18 college-credits each, toward their chosen degrees.
Relevant Illustrations
Although I wasn't at liberty to expand in the original, here I'm able to illustrate some of my statements.
30 Subjects, 8 Disciplines
For instance, these are the subjects I taught and created original curriculum for.
This graphic also represents the numeric and color codes I used throughout my boys' education, to organise documents, data, reports and metrics. Codifying these subjects from the beginning, allowed me to capture data that might (and did) come in handy later.
As an example, all of the resources we used, were recorded and tagged with subject codes, so I can tell you that the boys used 219 resources, specifically selected for their pre-collegiate maths education - and if you wanted a list of those resources, I could provide it.
Obviously, this is merely one piece of data I'm able to quantify and include in reports, relative to my subject classifications.
Autonomous Workflow Tool
I also created an autonomous workflow tool, which helped my boys learn to exercise control over daily schedules, and make choices consistent with their own interests.
The index card boxes contained index cards representing a segment of required academic work, such as 30 minutes of Khan Academy Maths; 15 minutes of Piano Practice and 30 minutes of Free-Choice Reading, etc.
The index cards in each boy's box covered all of the required work for an entire week, allowing the boys to choose the order and duration of their work, even allowing them to work ahead to earn larger blocks of free time.
If they were particularly enjoying math, coding or a book they couldn't put down, they could choose to spend the entire day engrossed in it. If, upon inspection, their work was insufficient or unsatisfactory, their choices would incur the consequences of working into the evenings and weekends.
This system helped reinforce their internal loci of control, and strengthened their ability to manage their time, and energy for lower-interest topics.
The pocket chart itself functioned like a spreadsheet with rows of subjects (common to both boys) and 2 columns for each boy, marked "I did it TODAY" and "I did it THIS WEEK."
Every index card also had sequential numbers, indicating the number of times they'd completed each assignment. (IE: If Caleb did 2 hours of Khan's Math on Monday, he'd insert 4 Khan's Math cards into the Maths row, Today column, with the #4 card front-loaded.
The benefit of this feature is that both I, and the boys, could see immediately how much work had been done for the day, the week, and by whom - with a mere glance at the chart.
Much like visible performance metrics in an improvement-driven workplace, these constantly visible metrics provided motivation, as well as vital information needed for planning and remediation.
Innovative Tracking and Portfolio System
Another system I invented was an Academic Tracking and Portfolio System. Each annual system included:
1) 12 spreadsheet workbooks, each with approximately 40 worksheets - complete with specialized data entry and data validation tables, formula driven summaries, and instructions for daily use. 2) A Hard-Copy Binder with Table of Contents, tabbed dividers, and high-capacity document sleeves, and again, a methodology for use.
3) Customizable forms for both portfolio inclusion, and state submission, including Affidavits, Objectives and Curriculum Plans.
The system delivered a number of benefits. 1) It enabled academic tracking consistent with state standards, which required contemporaneous records of either hours or days, linked to subjects and resources used for instruction, along with a comprehensive resource list. 2) Insightfully designed data fields and drop-down lists enabled digital capture of clean, useful details, making records actionable; enabling dynamic educational insights throughout the term; and facilitating robust reporting whenever desired or required. 3) The system also broke down the task of creating an annual portfolio into easily manageable daily and monthly tasks, rather than what was oft handled as a colossal annual one, and did so with superior results. For me, these benefits were more meaningful than just well-organized records, and complete adherence to regulation in one of the country’s most demanding homeschooling jurisdictions. As the boys continued surpassing testing benchmarks, eventually gaining an opportunity for early college admission, my ability to deliver specific metrics enabled both successful application for State-Awarded Diplomas, and proof of college entrance criteria.
Other Achievements Associated with This Work
The factors mentioned above are only highlights of the industry, effort and
creativity I poured into the important job of providing my boys a pedagogically sound, classical education - designed to equip them with critical thinking skills, practical knowledge and academic-readiness for secondary education. While I've enjoyed successes in my professional work-endeavors as well, it is true that I applied myself professionally to this portion of my career, and believe the quality of my work and outcomes, relevant to current endeavor to re-enter the workforce.
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