More Than a Teacher: Mrs. Lindley's Lasting Legacy at AHS

When asked about why she became a teacher, she explains, “I became a teacher because I am a people person. I needed a job where I could be with people every day.” She feels as if there is no other job meant for her, and she’s never considered any other job for herself. “I also wanted a job where I felt like I could impact society positively,” Lindley adds. 

Lindley expresses that teaching at Aurora is enjoyable because of the community. “We care about each other, we work together, we have positive intentions, we want what is best for each other - I wish the world worked this way,” she shared. Lindley has such a positive outlook on everything, especially within her workplace. 

Creating memories with her classes each year is something she finds very important. Lindley explains that one of her favorite moments was  “Taking [her]students to see the movie ‘The Great Gatsby’ when it first came out in theatres.” She elaborates on this moment by revealing that the entire theater was rented out, making the experience more memorable and outstanding. Another memory she mentions was, “Reading Beartown for the first time in AP Lit last year.” She includes this one because it’s an important memory that will last and stick with her. 

When Lindley is asked about what she believes her greatest teaching quality is, she explains how she is approachable: “Students know that I want to work together to help them succeed.” I can personally agree with this, as having Mrs. Lindley this year in AP Lit. She ensures that she makes a connection with each of her students, making them feel most comfortable in her classroom. 

As for her favorite concepts and units to teach to her English classes, Lindley mentions, “I love teaching ‘The Great Gatsby,’ ‘Beartown,’ and ‘Fences’! I also love the college essay process because it helps me get to know my students better.” Lindley is a very personable teacher, so it’s not surprising that the college essay process is one of her favorites. 

Lindley reveals, “I teach a college essay writing class over the summer to area high schoolers, and I love eating out because I despise cooking!” However, she does express that she is pretty much an open book to her students.  

To delve into Lindley’s academic background, she attended a small school and graduated with 60 other students in her class. Revealing that the intimacy between her and her classmates was difficult at times, she reflects, “I think it gave me a good base on what I wanted in my life, both through positive and negative experiences.” She explains how her high school experience taught her that she wanted more than what was being offered to her at the time. 

“I did not love a lot of my classes - I thought they were repetitive and boring,” Lindley replies when questioned about her favorite subject in high school. However, moving on to bigger things in college, she describes how she enjoyed each of the education classes she took: “I could not wait to be a teacher in my own classroom!” 

She attended Bowling Green State University for her undergraduate education, where she met her husband, expressing, “My husband and I are Falcon Flames.” She later attended The Ohio State University to obtain her master's in education and Kent State University for her masters in Library Science. 

She shares a line from The Great Gatsby, which explains exactly how she views teaching. "It [the smile] faced--or seemed to face--the whole eternal world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey." 

Overall, Lindley is such a positive teacher and is determined to make a strong impact through her teaching. Her love for reading and English overall is what makes her an outstanding teacher. 

Written by: Natalie Magdics