Teaching more than class

By Bobbie Poynter / Community Editor

Growing up to be an elementary school teacher was not Melody Lambo’s first choice. Melody had her heart set on being a veterinarian. But then, a child’s

direction in life can change in an instant.

“I really wanted to be a veterinarian,” Melody remembers. “But, one day I had to help my dad deliver a cow —you get the picture — and right then and there I decided I was going to do something else.”

Melody’s family lived on a 22-acre farm in Girdler. Many people raised in a small town like Girdler grow up and move away to the big city. Melody preferred to remain close to her roots and still lives on the same land her parents nurtured over the last 30 years.

Today, Melody has followed in her grandmother Edith Farmer’s footsteps. Edith had been a teacher at Girdler School for 31 years. Melody has now been a teacher at Girdler Elementary for 10 years, eight of those years, including today, as a kindergarten teacher.

“I love the little ones,” she said of her 30 charges. “I love being able to teach them right, and watch them soak it all in. I love the fresh minds coming in and being able to fill them up with all the good things life at their age has to offer.”

As the final school bell rings and the children head home to play and rest up for the next day, their teacher swaps out her hat for another of her many extracurricular activities. As the academic and Future Problem Solving Team assistant coach for both the varsity and junior varsity teams, Melody practices with the teams nearly every day after school. The extra time spent with the Girdler students has paid off as the teams have consistently qualified for world competition in the Odyssey of the Mind year after year.

“I want the kids to have an opportunity to excel and show the world how smart they are,” Melody beamed. “And they never disappoint. The kids always bring their A game and make Girdler look good at the competitions, both district and regions.”

Besides coaching the academic teams, Melody is a Beta Club chaperone, helping with fundraisers, coronations, or whatever needs to be done. She also helps with the school’s family resource center as well, playing a major part in their annual Angel Tree project, helping to shop, wrap gifts and organize the program.

Melody has been a valuable member of the GFWC/KFWC Barbourville Junior Woman’s Study Club, a civic, community service organization in Barbourville, for almost 10 years. She has held several offices in this valuable service minded organization and currently serves as the district director of junior clubs and assistant to Kentucky’s State Director of Junior Clubs. The club focuses on improving the Barbourville community and Melody rarely misses an activity. She has been very active in supporting the local domestic violence shelter and spreading the word about the need to stop domestic violence in our community. 

Last summer, the Woman’s Club visited the Appalachian Children’s Home in Bimble and redecorated the boys’ living quarters.

Melody smiled as she thought back to the children’s reactions after the work was done. “We turned that place into a home. We painted, put up posters and pictures for 20 rooms. When we were finished, the boys each felt more like they had their own personal space.”

Melody is also a very devout Christian and is quite active at Locust Grove Baptist Church. 

She teaches Sunday School to a group of very rambunctious 2 through 5 year olds. She also teaches a youth group on Wednesday night for about 15 youngsters. In addition, she is a vital part of the Baptist Young Women at the church. The Locust Grove BYW cook and deliver a meal to the sick, elderly and shut-ins throughout the Girdler area once each month.

“We sit and talk with them and pray with them,” Melody explained. “They look forward to our visits and reward us with lots of thank you hugs and kisses.”

Each year she teaches a class at Vacation Bible School.

“The kids love it,” said Melody. “A lot of those kids don’t go to church regularly, and this gives them a chance to learn about Jesus and the Bible and have some fun at the same time.”

Another way Melody reaches out to the children in the community is through her association with the UNITE basketball games played at Knox County Middle School. During halftime, she and her fellow volunteers teach the children about the Bible through devotions combined with related treats the kids take home to help them remember what they learned that day.

The devotions peak the children’s interest and, over a period of time, some of them begin coming to Sunday School, with or without their parents. Even better, Melody says, is when a child becomes so excited that his enthusiasm rolls over onto his parents, and suddenly you see the whole family in church.

Melody Lambo sees herself as a leader, a helper and a follower, all rolled into one. She leads her school and church classes in a way she hopes will help the children put their best foot forward, be good to others and be willing to give without receiving anything in return.

She follows the teachings of the Bible, her church and those that came before her.

Melody gives her time to her community not because she is expected to, but because she wants to. God blessed her, she said, with the ability, energy and know-how to help others, and she would be wasting her time here on earth if she didn’t use it.

“My church inspires me,” said Melody, “and I just want to be there and help anyone at any time, the way God is there to help me.”