Dr. Megan Allen: Patience and unconditional love
Written by Charles Noyes
Photos by Kelly Z Photography
Sponsored by Valley Home Improvement
Published in Northampton Living (June 2021)
Dr. Megan Allen’s journey to the Valley has taken many twists and turns, but it all stemmed from a decision she made in college. “I never thought I would become a teacher because my mother was a teacher. So, as a stubborn redhead, I didn’t want any part of it. But I lost my mom to cancer right before graduating college,” she said, “and some of her former students and colleagues reached out to me. Seeing how many lives she’d touched was stunning, It solidified the lasting impact a teacher can have. That experience changed my life in so many ways” From that point on, Megan knew that education and teaching was something that she wanted to pour herself into, but what she didn’t know was exactly how far teaching would take her.
Megan was recognized by Florida as its 2010 Teacher of the Year and one of four finalists for 2010 National Teacher of the Year, honors she wasn’t expecting to receive. “100% surprised and surreal,” she laughed, “It allowed me and my 4th graders to have some truly surreal experiences.” With about 20 years of experience teaching public school, those experiences have been transformed into lasting memories.
One such experience was the honor of performing the opening coin toss at a Tampa Bay Buccaneers (her favorite team) and New York Giants football game. “I don’t think I’d ever realized how big professional football players are until I saw a 10-year old next to one.” To Megan, it was sharing these moments with her students that made them particularly memorable. “Out of nowhere, I heard one of my kids shout ‘I’m not even as tall as his bottom!’“
In another example, she was selected to represent her school as the Grand Marshall of a local Christmas parade. She and a few randomly selected students woke up very early in the morning, put on their best clothes, and piled into a convertible Corvette to be a part of the parade and wave to the crowds. “The only problem was that one of my kids got so worked up about everything that he ended up falling asleep in the backseat before the parade even started!”
But hilarious and nerve-racking situations are nothing new to Megan who had to think about what made her more nervous: meeting President Obama or testifying before Congress. “Being able to talk about your students and public education in front of Congress is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing,” she started, “I had the chance to speak about the frustrating lack of money we put into public education, which bothers me, especially knowing the impact education can have on a child.”
Eventually, however, life led her away from the Florida warmth and up to the Valley where she continues to emphasize the importance of teaching and learning. While working with a company that was fielding children’s book ideas, she was disappointed to learn that her book had not been selected as the winner. She may not have ended up with the ultimate prize, but she did walk away from that experience with something better, her future husband! Her husband, Mike Flynn, was Massachusetts’ 2008 Teacher of the Year and Megan said this leads to some educationally nerdy dinner-table conversations.
Nowadays, Megan’s love of education and helping children is felt at home where someone is always on the move. There’s her daughter, Cora Rose Allen-Flynn, 2, and her four stepchildren: Allison Flynn, 17, Daniel Flynn, 18, Sean Flynn, 15, and Collin Flynn, 14. Though they might not all appreciate their mom’s or step-mom’s occasional lapses into “teacher mode,” Megan admits, “but that’s what I am. Being a teacher requires patience and unconditional love and what is parenting but patience and unconditional love?” As a family, some of their favorite activities include traveling, hiking, gardening, movie nights, and spending dinnertime together, which has become a more frequent activity due to the pandemic.
Her work in the Valley has taught her a lot about the spirit of New England and what makes the Valley a unique place. “There’s a real hardiness of the people who live here and a resilience that I admire,” she began, “There’s nothing like the emergence of Spring and the colors of Fall. I love living somewhere where there’s a thousand different hiking trails and always something to do outside. There’s a real love of education and respect for teachers here that I haven’t felt living anywhere else.”
That respect is reflected in the success of Megan’s new business, The Community Classroom, a service in Florence that offers customized and flexible tutoring for all ages. After working in the non-profit sector in Washington, DC, for the last four years, she was let go in 2020 due to the lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. But instead of rebuilding slowly and working with what she had, Megan decided to go for it all and start her own business. “I don’t mind calculated risk. Putting everything into this business idea and making mistakes, whatever happens along the way—it doesn’t bother me. It’s all great learning.”
“It all started from some virtual parent support work I’d been doing in partnership with Lexi from High Five Books. She told me they were moving to a new space so I happily took their old space off their hands and went all out on my business plan. We currently have 27 certified teachers as a part of our tutoring and academic coaching team. Students from Pre-K through 12th grade. It’s amazing to be a part of helping kids to fall back in love with learning by matching them with the perfect teacher. Parents and caregivers are under a lot of stress right now so to be able to provide some relief that also builds confidence, content knowledge, and helps kids through this time has been the best.”
Ultimately, Megan cherishes her time spent in the Valley and loves the supportive community she’s gotten to know over the years. “I like to host local free events for families. We’ve hosted two Story Walks in Florence and one Interactive Math Walk in downtown Northampton recently where we organized local businesses to each have a page of a book or a math problem on a sidewalk to solve, so as you walk around and visit each location, you slowly complete the book or math tasks like a scavenger hunt.” Good old-fashioned family fun. And this is what she’s all about, bringing the community together and making lasting memories for caregivers and children alike.
