New Teacher Lindsay Munroe
February 19, 2010
Ms. Lindsay Munroe was born and raised in Cortland, Ohio, to Ken and Kim West. A sister, Chelsea, is three years younger and a brother, Austin, is twelve years younger. Ms.Munroe says, “Being the oldest is tough. I was expected to set a good example and pave the way for Chelsea and Austin. We had our squabbles while growing up, but we get along great now.”
During her youth, Ms. Munroe's grandmother Carol Moyers was her role model. “I spent a lot of time with her,” she states. “Grandmother wanted the best for me, but she expected me to have values and a respected work ethic.”
After her elementary and middle school years, Ms. Munroe attended Lakeview High School with about 1,200 other students where she "was a member of the marching band [and] Beta Club. It is a community service organization, and we collected canned goods for needy families.We also adopted Mosquito Lake near the school, and our club would pick up trash along the lake's banks. I also belonged to the United Methodist Church's Youth Club. The club collected food and money so area families could have a better Christmas. One requirement was for us to fast for thirty hours, so we could better understand what going without feels like.”
She also worked. “My jobs to earn money came from babysitting and an ice cream shop,” she said.
Ms. Munroe graduated from high school in 2004 with honors and then attended Kent State University in Ohio, graduating in 2008 with a BA in Early Childhood Education.
No one inspired Ms. Munroe to be a teacher. She said, “I always wanted to be a teacher. When I was little, I'd play teacher with an easel and eraser. My sister was my student.”
She spent the 2008-2009 school year teaching first grade at Kannapolis, North Carolina. “Kent State offered me out-of-state student teaching, and I jumped at the chance. I loved teaching, but I didn't care for the area.”
While in Ohio, Ms. Munroe discovered Putnam County's 1st grade job over the Internet. She said, “My boyfriend's parents moved to Mercer several years ago. On a map, I measured the distance from Mercer to Unionville and found it to be 35 miles. I called Mrs.Spase, and she instructed me to submit a resume.”
Due to the long distance, Mr. Halley recommended Ms. Munroe be interviewed via the Internet. She said, "During the interview, they could see me but I couldn't see them. That really made me nervous.
After being hired and working here, Ms. MunroeI has felt lucky, “The teachers are so supportive and helpful here. I feel part of the team. The administration is wonderful. The superintendent and principals visit classrooms and talk to the teachers and students. They care about us, and that is unusual.”
Ms. Munroe's classroom wall has a poster that lists her class rules, the first of which reads, “I will be respectful of myself and others including their feelings and belongings.”
The second rule is "I will have fun!" Fellow teacher LaDonna Roberts said, “Ms. Munroe is a fun person.” However, Ms. Munroe knows that some students do not come from happy, caring families, and she "tries very hard to change their attitude and make them happy. They are all special to me.”
