By MB Rochleleau

Lindsey Leeth, an English 7 teacher and Middle School advisor, has had many different teaching experiences. She has taught at a public high school, a small all-girls school, and, of course, Collegiate. Through Leeth’s different schools, she has learned things about herself and her love of teaching.

Leeth in her classroom. Photo courtesy of Lindsey Leeth.

Leeth grew up in Richmond, attending Saint Bridget’s Catholic School and later moving to Mills E. Godwin High School. After high school, Leeth went to James Madison University and then attended North Carolina State University for graduate school.

Leeth started teaching at Henrico County’s Deep Run High School in 2004. There, she started the student writing center, a place where kids could go to get tutored in writing and English. Leeth’s favorite part about Deep Run was its forward-thinking philosophy. She said the faculty approach was, “What can we do? What can we do to improve? They were looking for… doing the best job that they could.” Leeth stayed at Deep Run for eight years. In 2012, she ended up leaving because she had her daughter Spencer (‘30). She was a stay-at-home mom for a few years, but she could not shake the feeling of missing teaching. So she started tutoring at Virginia Randolph. Leeth’s love for teaching finally drove her back to another public high school, Glen Allen, in 2017. 

She chose Glen Allen for their diversity, and she taught both regular and Honors English 12. Leeth stayed there for three years before leaving. Due to the pandemic, “We moved to teaching online, and at that point, I realized that I needed to make a move.” COVID-19 was a catalyst for Leeth and her journey with private schools. She applied for the role of registrar at Orchard House Middle School and was later contacted about teaching 6th, 7th, and 8th grade English instead. Leeth had never heard of OHMS, even though she had lived in Virginia her whole life.  When she found it, she said, “This place seems really special. It seems to be aligned with what I believe in as a teacher.” OHMS is a small all-girls middle school with about 80 kids total, and only one teacher for science and history.

When entering OHMS, Leeth was surprised to be greeted by so much warmth from students. In her first year, the 8th graders dedicated the yearbook to her. This experience helped Leeth realize how important relationships are with students. She also loved the small groups and slower pace of teaching, with the focus being on learning and less on getting through the curriculum. OHMS was Leeth’s first experience with a close-knit, school-based community, where relationships are built between teachers and students. To this day, Leeth still keeps in touch with some of her old students from OHMS, like me. 

I originally met Leeth at OHMS; I had her as my English teacher from 6th to 8th grade. Along with being my English teacher, I also had her as an advisor one year. I relished my classes with her; she always made time for her students to read and tailored her classes to our needs. Leeth went with the flow of the class, teaching us at the pace we needed, slowing down when things were hard and taking a break when she could see we were giving up.

Leeth cherished the resources and places available to her, since OHMS is located in The Fan. She was able to take her students to places around the city just by walking. Leeth’s decision to leave OHMS was based on her own kids. Her son, Landon (‘28), had just been accepted to Collegiate, and her daughter was still at St. Micheal’s Episcopal School. Leeth knew commuting to three different schools in the morning would not be viable, so she joined her son at Collegiate in 2024.

Leeth is currently a 7th Grade English teacher, teaching two classes of girls and two classes of boys. Leeth’s experience at Collegiate so far has been “the most positive work environment I have ever worked in. The teachers here… they look for the bright side of things.” Along with being an English teacher, Leeth also got to head a Summer Grant Committee over the summer with other teachers at Collegiate. They focused on how teaching techniques and approaches differ between boys’ and girls’ classrooms. This research did not stop in the summer for Leeth, as the topic is part of an ongoing discussion in the Middle School. 

Leeth’s current curriculum focuses on community. She makes connections between their class topics and the grade-wide project, Connect Richmond. Leeth strives to teach her students love of reading by giving them ten minutes of personal reading time each class: “I prioritize making time for leisure reading, and then maybe they will, too.”

Over her time at different schools, she has figured out the two most important things to her when it comes to teaching. First, the ability to help students, especially middle schoolers, not just grow through knowledge of literature, but as people too. Leeth wants to help kids be the best people they can be. Second, relationships with students. Leeth’s time at Collegiate has confirmed just how important relationships with her students are not just to her, but to the kids as well.