September 21, 2023
By BARTON HENLEY
Rutherford County Schools
Mehgan Quinn — sixth grade social studies teacher, track and field, and cross-country head coach at Christiana Middle School — just began her third year at the school.
Quinn is also the assistant girls’ basketball coach at Christiana.
She is using all the opportunities in the classroom, as well as her sphere of influence as a coach of three different sports, to build relationships with students.
QUESTION: What brought you into education?
Quinn: I am originally from Missouri and went to the University of Missouri. I went to school for journalism but found a passion for kids through working at a summer camp at the local YCMA one summer during college. I was a coach for a bunch of different sports and fell in love with working with kids. My parents encouraged me to become a teacher and coach even though the thought never crossed my mind. Education is one of the biggest passions that I have.
Q: Do you feel a strong connection with the students at Christiana?
Quinn: I do. We have great kids here. I love teaching, but being called coach means something to me. The kids understand the sacrifice that you make for them — all the time and energy I put in. They appreciate seeing coaches outside of the classroom. They see that their coaches are bought in.
Q: As a teacher and coach, what expectations do you have for your students and athletes?
Quinn: I have very high expectations of my students, especially my student athletes. They must get good grades. They are a student first, then an athlete. I hold them to a very high standard, and they know that. I’ve had students in my class that are on different sports teams than the ones that I coach, and they don’t want to let me down either. It really creates more buy-in from the kids.
Q: How do you motivate your students/athletes?
Quinn: Well, I’m extremely competitive. I try to bring those competitions into the classroom. I always try to make everything a challenge, whether in sports or in the classroom. Class competitions are huge for me. I try to make everything a competition because I think it motivates my students and my athletes. It challenges them to be better.
Q: Can you talk about the culture here at Christiana Middle?
Quinn: (Principal) Dr. (Kyle) Nix has been something incredible here. I love it here. I absolutely love it here. I have the best team in the building, although I’m a little biased. We’ve got such strong teachers and our kids are incredible. The community that Dr. Nix is building and fostering is amazing to see. I am so happy to be a part of it. When I got here, I jumped right into it. It’s really important for me to feel like I’m a part of a community and I definitely get that here.
Q: Are there any things in your classroom that make it unique?
Quinn: I have flexible seating options for students. This allows them to choose if they want to sit alone, beside others or even stand during the class using our standing desks. I try to help them succeed by providing multiple options. They can choose a different seating arrangement each day if they would like to. The nonnegotiable with choosing your seating is that the seat you choose helps you to be responsible, successful and respectful.
Q: What are you most excited for this semester/year?
Quinn: I love the group of sixth-graders we have this year. It’s really a great group of kids. They are fantastic. It’s so easy to motivate them. They want to grow. They want to learn. They make teaching easy. We are working hard to build a specific type of community, and those kids are helping us do it. Our culture here has really shifted over the last few years. It’s been incredible to see. The kids want to grow, win and be successful.