I am a teacher, and I am a gardener
and the two are linked in more ways than one might think.

One day, I was in the yard fertilizing my fruit trees. I had a wheelbarrow full of seasoned manure that I was applying to the base of each tree. A friend of mine came up and we began to talk about life. She said, “Lynn you are such a good speaker, why don’t you go into professional speaking. You are good at it, and you could make so much more money.” I thought a minute and kept shoveling. 

“My goal in life,” I told her, “is not to be the one in the limelight, but to help others to grow so that they can shine. I figure that way, I can inspire many and the impact is so much larger.” I shoveled more manure near the roots of my pear tree. “My purpose in life is to be fertilizer so that others can grow.” She shook her head and smiled.

“So, your goal in life is to be manure?"

We chuckled together, a minute and I replied, “Yeah, that’s about right. I'm the manure.”

My name is Lynn Meade, and my greatest joy comes from helping others grow to their full potential.  I am a gardener and a teacher, sometimes I water, sometimes I fertilize and sometimes, I remove the weeds that might prevent growth.  I would like to share a few key ideas central to my teaching that I believe help my students to grow. 

Yes, my goal in life is to be manure!

RELEVANT
I believe that students learn best
when they know how the material benefits them.

I believe that students want to know how the learning material applies. I spend the first week of class selling them on why the material is important, why learning it will make them better people, and why they can trust that I will teach them things that “matter.” When I give an assignment, I give the justification for the assignment and why learning the material matters for their future success. Because I have business experience, I give them specifics of how this might look in their future careers.

When the connections aren’t obvious, I tell my students about my son playing football at a young age. He had to do an exercise where he kicked up his knees in front—it was called "high knees". I tell them there was never a time during the football game when he would be called to do high knees but because he practiced that movement, he had prepared his body for the movements that he would have to do.  I assure my students that some of the things I teach them might not feel relevant immediately, but it is about stretching their brains for complex processes that they will later encounter.

TAILORED

 I believe that students are individuals
and I am willing to meet them where they are.

I believe that it is important for me to see my students as individuals with unique hopes, dreams, and fears. They come from different places socially and different levels of preparedness academically. While I do have learning objectives for the class, I am willing to acknowledge that they will apply those learning objectives in individual ways. Because of this, I often have different assignments. For example, they may choose to write a paper, make a video, or create a project that meets the learning objective.

I also realize some of my students come more prepared than others and I am determined to challenge the advanced students and to reach the underprepared students. I spend time in class teaching them how to study, how to write, and how to succeed.  I believe all my students can learn and am willing to put in the extra hours at their side helping them.

SAFE
  I believe students should be given the freedom to explore ideas.  

I believe students learn best in a safe environment where they can explore complex topics without fear of judgment from the teacher. I give my students opportunities to wrestle with difficult topics, to share their unique perspectives, and to discover for themselves how and why concepts apply to them. I create an environment where they feel safe to share opinions and I will teach them how to articulate those ideas in a civil manner. I create a safe classroom where they can be brave and test out their ideas on difficult topics.

GOAL ORIENTED
I believe in teaching with the end in mind.

I believe that I teach best when I clearly define what I want students to learn and why. I write both concrete and affective objectives and begin with the end in mind. I am deliberate with my lesson planning and intentional with my class activities. Having a clear focus allows me to be very creative in how to achieve the objective.

FUN
I believe that learning is fun.

I believe in creating a lifelong love of learning. I feel that students will want to learn if they find learning enjoyable. Especially in my speech classes, I create activities where they will spend the whole class smiling. That positive emotion attaches to how they feel about speech in powerful ways. In my lecture classes, I create a classroom atmosphere that is positive, upbeat, and fun. Students laugh, smile, and make friends as we delve into complex topics. A fun environment where students want to come to class is a place where deep learning can begin!

FOCUSED ON THE WHOLE PERSON
I believe in creating community.

I believe my students need connection with other students. Giving them opportunities to make friends and find someone of like mind helps them feel secure so they are more open to new ideas. Retention research suggests that students who have friends at college make better grades and are more likely to persist so I put them in positions where they can connect.

I believe students learn best when they feel a connection with the teacher. Even in large or online classes, I want students to feel like they know me in some way. By telling personal stories and inviting them to my office just to chat, I create open communication channels.  In that environment, students feel more comfortable approaching me with questions or concerns.

INNOVATIVE
I believe in purposefully experimenting with new ways to teach and intentionally creating new activities where students can learn the material.

I believe in creating challenging ways for students to encounter the learning material. I write all my materials and often create learning activities that become used by others in the department. I am always evolving as a teacher and I am always improving courses.