by Bella Silva and Morgan Laumeyer
The quick-witted Mr. Mike McLindon, known for his inspirational speeches and advocacy for empathy, highlights our teacher spotlight in this edition of the Red Devil Dispatch. McLindon has continued the legacy of the mentor program, which does so much good at Lowell High School. In the wake of mentor founder Christina Thomas’s passing, McLindon sees part of his job as continuing and honoring her legacy. Thomas saw her mentors as one of the crowning achievements of her storied career. Thomas provided McLindon with the inspiration to bring The Coffee Bean creator and motivational speaker, Damon West, to speak to the Lowell community.
McLindon attended Indiana University Northwest to achieve his bachelor’s degree and recently finished his Masters at IU Bloomington last spring. His career started at Hebron Middle School, where he taught 7th and 8th-grade social studies. He decided to become a teacher due to his teachers in high school, “not giving up on me when they probably should have.” He is determined to be like the teachers he admired the most, and his compassion inspires students to push themselves to be as successful as they can be.
In the classroom, McLindon teaches the peer mentor, government, and dual credit government. Using traditional teaching methods such as slideshows and notes, McLindon transforms what has always been seen as teacher-centered strategies into students centered ones. In short, McLindon makes sure every student knows their stuff.
Outside of school, you can see him supporting his daughter in softball and cheerleading, alongside his son and wife. McLindon is the girls varsity softball head coach and also coaches boys freshman basketball.
McLindon’s principle source of support is his wife. “She uplifts me and is a role model for what I hope people see as my positive attitude,” McLindon noted. McLindon believes his path to success in teaching is to build connections with students. His hopes consist of ensuring that all students are supported while growing their education and securing the constant mental support that they need.
We love you Mr. McLindon, and we thank you for making Lowell High School and better place to learn!
