Katherine Byrd has a myriad of responsibilities in her role at Enid High School as an instructional coach. Byrd is starting her sixth year of teaching at Enid and her 17th year overall. Byrd first became a teacher because of her love of learning and wanted to make it a life-long endeavor. 

“Learning opens up a broad spectrum of new opportunities, and being a part of the learning process for others means that I get to help those in my classroom discover all kinds of opportunities for themselves,” Byrd said. “Once somebody knows how to learn –meaning how to discover and understand new information, not just a particular subject in school– the possibilities for that person are limitless.” 

Byrd works with both students and staff to find a collaborative common ground that helps students become the best that they can be. 

“My main purpose is to collaborate with teachers and help them maximize their efforts in the classroom,” Byrd said. “Whether it’s applying best practices, trying different strategies, or integrating instructional technology, the idea is to focus on the educational needs of the students and determine what will work best for them and have a positive impact on their learning.” 

Byrd has experience doing so in his past history in the English department and will bring her knowledge to the rest of the high school. 

“I was able to do this on a smaller scale as a department chair of the English department last school year, and as I move into the role of instructional coach for the entire high school, the scope of my effort will expand to include all teachers on campus.” 

Byrd finds the work rewarding and enjoys working with the other educators at Enid. She says that the daily interactions with students and the relationships she has built over the years are the best parts of the experience. 

This year Byrd is most looking forward to gaining more experience in all the different curricular areas at Enid. 

“We offer such a wide range of courses and have some really interesting teachers. It’s going to be a rewarding experience to get to see into all of the classrooms, “Byrd said. 

Outside of the classroom, Byrd enjoys reading, spending time with her friends, family, and raising her daughter who is beginning third grade.