Through her ten years of teaching IB at Seminole, English teacher Kelly Meahl has taught hundreds of students. Her laidback style and dedication to making English come alive to her students has made her a favorite among many of her past and current students.
An Orlando native and Colonial High School graduate, Meahl said she was about five years old when she knew she wanted to become a teacher. “I had a little brother,” she explained, “and my mom says that I, even when he was a baby, sat him down with crayons and tried to teach him to write and color.”
She said that while she always knew she wanted to be a teacher, she did not always know she wanted to become an English teacher. In high school, Meahl said she had a “really amazing English teacher,” one that she had for tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grade, who turned her life around and helped her figure out what she wanted to do.
That motivation led her to go on to Valencia College and then to the University of Florida to pursue her bachelors and masters degree. After teaching at Cyprus Creek, Meahl came to Seminole. She’s taught a few electives here along with English classes. She said one of her favorite electives to teach at Seminole was African American Literature.
Her passion for teaching does not go unnoticed by her students. Junior Sruthi Selvakumar, who has Mrs. Meahl currently, said, “[Mrs. Meahl] is extremely enthusiastic and entertaining. Her classes are always lively and she teaches with interest.” Whether it’s teaching how to write a good essay of motifs in a novel, Meahl’s energy is contagious. Elements of her personality inevitably affect her teaching style, something even past students remember.
Senior Spoorthy Prabhudeva has had Mrs. Meahl in the past. She said, regarding Meahl’s personality and teaching style, “Mrs. Meahl’s personality makes her class fun. Her sense of humor prevents boredom from setting in. She is always caring which makes her someone easy to approach.”
When asked to describe her own teaching style, Meahl responded by saying, “I think my teaching style is pretty relaxed. It’s a pretty easy-going style.” Freshmen especially appreciate the easy-going nature of Meahl’s teaching style.
The transition from middle school to high school is rough, and freshman Gouthami Gadamsetty voiced her appreciation of Meahl’s help through the first semester of freshman year. “[Mrs. Meahl] gives her quick advice for certain classes,” she said.
Aside from teaching IB English, Meahl is very involved with events on campus. During pep rallies, she’s always in the teachers’ dancing competition, her dancing always a crowd favorite. She also sponsors two clubs on campus, Beta Chi and Odyssey of the Mind.
Beta Chi is the largest club on campus and it’s a social club for IB students. There are about 430 members, and Meahl, along with fellow English teacher Kiersten Bordner, sponsor and run the club. Running the club requires planning all the events, such as the movie night, the Beta Chi banquet, ice skating, and booking the facilities. Meahl has been doing this for four years. Bordner said, “Meahl is great to work with. You know you have a great friend and colleague when you can finish each other’s sentences and thoughts. It makes organizing Beta Chi events very enjoyable.”
The second club that Meahl sponsors is Odyssey of the Mind. She sponsored that club six or seven years ago, took a break for a few years, and has been doing it for the past four consecutive years. She said she’s taken teams to world competitions two times.
Selvakumar is in Odyssey of the Mind, and she said she enjoyed having Meahl as a sponsor. “She encourages the participants to work harder. She is an inspiration to all her students,” Selvakumar commented.
Whether it’s dancing at pep rallies, explaining a novel, or sponsoring and running club events, Meahl’s energy, personality, and enthusiasm for teaching reflects in what she does. Her students, past and current, all seem to enjoy her class even if English isn’t their favorite subject.
“[The students and I] do a lot of work, learn a lot, but we also have fun while doing it.” Meahl said.