By Derrick Smith

There are times in life when changes come that we were not expecting. These are not necessarily bad things, just something we were not prepared for. This happened to Leigh Johnson, but she says it all worked out perfectly. 

“I’m currently a fourth grade teacher at Prairie View Elementary,” she said. “As a military family, we move often and for me that has meant a career shift. I earned a degree in business marketing and worked in that field until our family moved overseas. After learning of the teacher shortage in Oklahoma, I decided to put my love of learning to use and step into the classroom.  I’m about to finish my second year teaching.”

Johnson has four children in the Enid Public School system. Noah is a sophomore, Weston is a Freshman, Ellie is in the first grade, and Avery is in pre-K.

Having a range of kids from high school to pre-K does not give Leigh a lot of time to do what she enjoys, but she says she is thankful to still be involved in the lives of her kids.

“It isn’t always easy to stay involved, especially with my older boys. I’ve found that as my kids get older I have to be more proactive. For me it means making it a priority to get my sons to those early 6 am practices, staying on top of grades, getting to know the coach, and showing my support for the entire team, not just my athlete.”

For Leigh, it is important to be there for her kids, but she is also thankful for the coaches that have touched their lives. 

“It is important to me that my kids know they have my support and the support of their family. I want to be their biggest cheerleader. We are so fortunate to have people like Lyndsay Watts, Sam Stewart, and Kara McIntyre working with our kids. My kids benefit from their guidance, pushing, and teaching.”

Have lived in a lot of different places, Johnson says Enid has been very welcoming.

“I’ve fallen in love with Enid and the people,” she said. “In our short three years, the community has embraced us and made us feel like locals. Enid is definitely home.”