SHE'S seen students grow up before her eyes for five decades, but Jennifer Knight shows no signs of slowing down yet.

On Friday, Ms Knight was recognised with a live cross to Channel 7's Sunrise studio, speaking to Edwina Bartholomew for the Story of My Life segment.

Ms Knight told the story of her first class back in 1965, and she's got plenty more where that came from.

Arriving in the Whitsundays 15 years ago, she had actually intended to retire but instead started at the Whitsunday Christian College secondary school.

"We were down at the VMR Clubhouse," she said.

"It was wonderful because the kids could fish during lunch time and I used to take the art class outside.

"We had to pack everything up on a Friday and take it back to our place."

In 2011 major surgery saw Ms Knight confined to a wheelchair for a number of months, but even that couldn't stop her teaching.

"My husband used to bring me down (from Bowen)," she said. "I'm not someone who can sit on the couch."

Despite this dedication, Ms Knight's career actually began by accident.

"On the last couple of days in Year 11 we went into the Year 12 study room," she recalled. "There were some forms on the table if you were interested in teaching college.

"So as a joke, there were about four of us friends, and we filled them in."

With school finished, Ms Knight was on holiday with her family when her father arrived with a letter.

"I had been accepted into teaching college," she said.

"My mother said to me 'I didn't even know you were thinking about becoming a teacher'.

"And the rest is history."