Lynn Berk received a B.A. in Social Sciences from The Ohio State University and her M.A. in Speech Pathology from Cleveland State University. She has worked as a speech language pathologist in local schools, and has coordinated and directed summer speech programs for preschool children. Lynn worked in long-term care settings serving stroke, Parkinson, Alzheimer and dementia patients. She developed and published two remedial programs: Testing and Remediating Auditory Processing for preschool and elementary students, and R and L Stories Galore, a remedial articulation program. Her areas of interest are phonemic awareness, phonology and articulation, auditory and language processing and reading and literacy. She currently works as a clinical instructor in the English Language Proficiency Clinic (ELPC), providing accent reduction and phonological and articulation therapy for international students and faculty.
Q: What subject(s) do you teach?
I teach clinical practicum for graduate students in the Speech Pathology Program. I am the coordinator of the English Language Proficiency Clinic for the Speech Pathology Program, where graduate speech pathology students provide accent modification therapy for Kent State international students. We also provide therapy for elementary and secondary school students for speech sound production.
Q: What would students be surprised to learn about you?
They would be surprised to know that I had a lisp until I was 19 years old and had to have it corrected before I could major in speech pathology!
Q: What inspired you to follow your chosen path of study?
I wanted to help children who had speech difficulties so they wouldn’t be teased or bullied like I had been when I had a lisp.
Q: What's one of your favorite memories from your student days?
Football games at Ohio State University! The year that OSU beat Michigan 11-10. That was exciting!
Q: What do you think every student should experience in college?
Making new friends and trying new things. There are a variety of activities to participate in on campus, so try something new. Just make new friends and memories along the way.
Q: What academic or career advice would you give to students?
Pick a major that allows you to do a job you would enjoy even if you weren’t getting paid to do it.
Q: What do you enjoy most about teaching?
Interacting with students and the clients we serve from all the different countries around the world.
Q: How do you contribute to student success?
I provide different strategies and feedback so students can be successful. Students have said I push them outside their comfort zone so they can grow and become independent thinkers.
Q: What is the best and most challenging thing about being a teacher?
Seeing students who are eager to learn is the best thing about this job. The most challenging aspect of my job is explaining concepts in different ways, depending on the needs of each individual student.
Q: How do you show your school spirit?
I wear blue and gold to show school spirit and pride in being a member of the Kent State community when I participate in campus Discovery Days, open houses, and orientations.