About+me

My name is Meredith Murphy McLemore, and I love teaching English. I am a graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a bachelor’s degree in theatre and a master’s degree in secondary education in English. If you had told me 15 years ago that I would be teaching high school and loving it, I would have said you were crazy. But here I am. Teaching English to 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th graders and I couldn’t be happier. Here is my story. I was born in Mountain Brook, Alabama, in 1979, and I lived there until my senior year of high school. I attended UAB, majoring in theatre while working in the scenery department, singing for UAB’s Cabaret, and appearing in many plays and musicals. After graduation, I decided to travel the states. And travel I did. Upon graduation in 2002, I spent a summer in Maine teaching drama and sailing to campers. From there I went to live in Aspen, Colorado and worked for the Crystal Palace Dinner Theatre as a singer and performer. After Aspen came Los Angeles. I soon began to miss my family and church, and was ready to move back. Back in Alabama and after some small theatre gigs here in Birmingham, I enrolled in graduate school at my alma mater, UAB. While working on my master’s degree in secondary education in English, I taught as a special education para-professional (fancy word for teacher’s aide) at Brookwood Forest Elementary school. It was there that I met a student with very special needs. I became her one-on-one aide and worked with her through fifth and sixth grade. This is when I discovered what the Lord really had in mind for me. My true talent and passion was teaching. When my student graduated elementary school, I transitioned with her to Mountain Brook Junior High. I found myself in a place that I, as an angst filled teenager, never thought I would come back to. But here I was. I completed my student teaching at MBJH with the help from a forever mentor and friend, Mary Phillips. While working at MBJH, I graduated from grad school earning my master’s. During this time, I married my best friend, William McLemore, in October of 2009. I went on to work as an 8th grade English teacher, and served as the drama and creative writing teacher as well. In August of 2012, I had my daughter Eliza. My world was changing once again. God had blessed me more than I could ever imagine but He was not done yet. After the birth of my child, I took some time off from teaching, and I went to work as a preschool teacher for Homewood Church of Christ. Little did I know, God had BIG plans in store for me. Towards the end of my year spent teaching His word and spending time with my daughter, I received a call from Dr. Nita Carr. God was calling me to teach once more - an English position was available at the new Cornerstone High School. I interviewed for the position and received the phone call that I had the job teaching 6th, 7th, and 8th graders, regular and advanced. I also had a month or so to get my room ready at the new school, so I spent my summer painting my room teal and two walls were painted with white board paint. Blood (I fell off a ladder), sweat (again, summer with no air conditioning yet), and a couple of tears (see: ladder accident) were shed but my room was ready to go. I welcomed my new students on August the 6th, 2014, and my life was changed forever. So here I am. Teaching English and ministering to youth. The English curriculum hasn’t changed from when I was teaching at Mountain Brook but my outlook has. I feel like I am making a difference here. I have developed real relationships with my students. I get to teach them in 9th grade and see them grow and learn. I get to reap what I sow when I teach them in 10th, 11th, and 12th. My life seems complete. And it is all for His glory.