This Week's Teacher Spotlight

Melanie Lohfink is the kind of teacher students remember forever. In her literature and writing classes, she exemplifies personalized learning by constantly refining her curriculum to meet her students' unique needs. Her creative teaching strategies include March Madness book brackets, student-led poetry lessons based on poems chosen for them, "chalk-talk" discussions, student “expert” analyses of literary themes, and vibrant displays of student artwork and achievements. She provides thoughtful feedback on every piece of writing, making her class feel like learning from a big sister who loves books and essays but loves her students more.

As an SCC alumna, Mrs. Lohfink pours the same care into her students that she once received in these halls, fostering confidence and a love for learning. Her courses inspire students to take ownership of their education, recognize their strengths, and develop their potential. Each class becomes a unique community, shaped by the talents she nurtures in every student.

Mrs. Lohfink’s class is the epitome of student-centered learning. Her curriculum is designed based on the students who will be taking her course, tailoring the reading selection and pacing of the course content based on their needs in all of her 4 preps. Her assessments have unique essay prompts for each group of students, allowing the discussions of the course to mold the trajectory of the thematic and skill-based responses. Her lessons include inside jokes, personal details, and Comet-themed material. The students in her classes have unique roles in the lessons, serving as “experts” of certain material or “leaders” in certain procedures in the classroom. Her room is covered in student work and celebrations of their achievements on assessments and the ACT, an extension of her role as ACT for many Comets. She includes many opportunities for creativity, encouraging models, artwork, creative writing, and photography as part of her assessments and lessons. Every element of her class is about thinking in the unique, personal ways that each student does, an expressing those thoughts with competence, confidence, and style.