At the end of the school year, multi-faceted teacher Lynnette Mayman will be retiring from teaching after 25 years of leaving her mark on Seaholm.
In the past, Mayman has taught English literature, French, and her favorite, Flex.
“[My favorite subject] is Flex, because we learn so much doing it,” Mayman said. “There’s a sense of community to begin with and a sense of discovery. . . . It’s very valuable because it gives you the sense that you’re not doing the same thing over.”
Students in Flex, similarly, are big fans of Mayman.
“I like her accent,” sophomore Nick Resnick said. “I also liked how she was so lively.”
Mayman’s unique teaching techniques had a profound effect on Resnick.
“When Nick and I went to [parent teacher] conferences, Nick was really mad we didn’t get to see her,” Resnick’s mother Carol Resnick said.
Although Mayman has only taught four nonconsecutive years of Flex, she was generally well-received in the years that she did.
“My friends love her [Mayman],” freshman Jacqueline Mee said. “Several of my friends [in Flex] say that she’s their favorite Flex teacher.”
Her eccentric personality only encourages the Flex community.
“She really makes the class fun sometimes,” freshman Kieran O’Keefe said. “All and all, though, she’s really good at teaching.”
Not every student has been taught by Mayman, her reputation precedes her.
“I’ve only heard good things about her,” sophomore Peter Redebaugh said.
New students to Seaholm are quick to hear of her legacy.
“I asked a couple people who some of the nicest teachers in this school are, because at Cranbrook [High School] a lot of the teachers were domineering and intimidating,” sophomore Carlo Clavenna, who recently enrolled into Seaholm this year, said. “Mayman was the first name to come up. I feel bad that I never had her for a class especially now that she’s retiring.”
French students also enjoy her methods.
“I have more than one friend who switched into French [from Spanish] last year because they heard Ms. Mayman’s class was such a great time,” sophomore Hunter Marcuson said. “Too bad she herself switched to Flex. Oh the irony.”
Mayman also left an impact on her French students. Junior Lizzie Schaaf, who had Mayman for French two years in a row, felt that having Mayman as a teacher was a fun experience.
“She was a really great teacher,” Schaaf said. “She made learning fun.”
Another former French student of Mayman’s, Annie Pidgeon, enjoyed Mayman’s French class as well.
“She was very funny and charismatic,” Pidgeon said. “The best memory was when we had a lockdown drill in her class and she began sneaking around pretending she was a ninja.”
Mayman recalls interesting memories with her French classes as well.
“[In lower levels of French, students] would say horrendous things like ‘I am vomit’ or ‘You friend my the,’ stuff like that and it was really hilarious,” Mayman said. “I loved that stuff. You couldn’t make it up.”
Students expressed that not only would they miss her class, but they would miss her personality as well.
“I will miss her knee high red leather lace up boots,” Pidgeon said.
Schaaf agreed that her fashion sense was going to be missed.
“Her outfits were really cool and different,” Schaaf said. “I like how her socks always matched whatever she was wearing.”
Mayman will retire as she taught, in high spirits, articulating nonsensical British humor.
“The best you can be is a harmless drudge,” Mayman said. “It would be awful if you were a harmful drudge.”
