Today, for the "Women's History Month" celebration, I would like to introduce this gorgeous, kind and sweet young woman
Meet Keilly Lynch, 25, lacrosse lover, awesome teacher
"She believed she could, so she did." - R.S. Grey
I was born and raised in Lyman, ME. The house I grew up in was hidden in the woods and I spent much of my childhood playing outside, climbing trees, riding dirt bikes, building tree forts, and playing yard games with my family and friends. I was very much a tomboy. I appreciate that my parents let me explore whatever activities interested me and let me dress in whatever clothes I felt most comfortable in.
I went to Lyman Elementary through grade school and then went to Massabesic Middle and High School as I got older. I enjoyed playing sports all year round and I credit my involvement with sports as a huge part of building me into the person I am today. Lacrosse was always my favorite sport and the team I played for in high school had a very successful program. Aside from being a captain, state champion, and all of the other achievements I made in the sport, it taught me so much more about leadership, giving back to the community that raised me, and how humbling it is to be part of something greater than myself. After high school I went on to study elementary education at the University of Maine at Farmington. I was able to continue my lacrosse career there as well which made my college experience that much more incredible.
I have always naturally been drawn to working with children. Their innocence and natural curiosity to learn makes working with them an absolute pleasure. I hold a high expectation for myself to meet every child’s personal needs. Each student is unique, has different strengths and weaknesses and comes from diverse backgrounds. I want to ensure not only a safe learning environment, but a comfortable environment that each child can treat as a second home. My overall hope is to make an imprint on each child’s life and to be remembered as the teacher who never lost faith in them. My favorite part of teaching is forming strong relationships with each of my students. I find until I invest in them as people they aren’t able to invest in what I am trying to teach them. Teaching has become not only my career, but it makes my life feel purposeful and it is a way I can continue to give back to the community.
I started my teaching career during the pandemic. Being new to a career field is intimidating in itself and learning how to manage a classroom on top of learning a new curriculum during the pandemic was difficult. There were a lot of unknown variables that veteran teachers were also navigating through and remote teaching posed a great challenge to connect with kids and form strong relationships. As time went on, I quickly realized that being a new teacher I had a lot to bring to the table with my knowledge of using technology and making content accessible for students during remote learning. I was able to assist my colleagues in these challenges and took comfort in knowing that I was part of a team of teachers devoted to serving students the best we could considering the circumstances. Now that school has resumed back to its normal state, as a teacher I am finding that a lot of students have gaps to fill in their learning which poses a new challenge. I am confident in my ability to get all of my students' needs met, knowing that the team of teachers I work with has faced more challenging things in the past couple of years. COVID has also made the cost of everything rise in our country. Being a new teacher living in a one bedroom apartment, I have struggled financially trying to afford the cost of living. It is so frustrating that I worked hard to earn a bachelor's degree in education and still do not make enough money to afford a one bedroom apartment without picking up a second job. I am still struggling to overcome this challenge, but I have faith that one day the cost of living will be within reason again.
I was a national honor society member in high school. I won many awards for my dedication and relentless effort on all of the sports teams that I played on. In college, I made the dean's list several times and earned rookie of the year and senior athlete of the year for lacrosse. I also was happy to score my 100th point in my senior season of lacrosse before my season was canceled by the pandemic.
I love being outside and taking in all that nature has to offer. Some of my favorite things to do are beach walks with my dog, hiking, kayaking, biking, and hanging out with friends. I haven’t coached lacrosse since I started my teaching career, but it is definitely something I look forward to doing in the future so I can share my love of the game with other young athletes.
I value time spent with family and friends. The love and support I have from my family, friends, and work family is incredible. Spending time with the people you love most is what life is all about so I am thankful to have the support system that I do.
Advice for other women:
As a woman I think it’s important to acknowledge how strong we are. I lacked confidence in myself when I was younger because there is an expectation for how women are supposed to look to be beautiful. I think that having confidence in yourself and staying true to yourself in all that you do is the ultimate beauty a woman can show.
Another one of Keilly's favorite quotes:
"Every child deserves a champion: an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists they become the best they can possibly be." - Rita Pierson
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Thank you, Keilly, for sharing your story with us!
#womenshistorymonth #womansupportingwomen #womanpower #mainephotographer
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