Greyhound Grad Megan Wybrant was recently named Teacher of the Year at Wagoner Middle School (WMS), located in Wagoner, Oklahoma. The sixth-grade math teacher's peers voted for her to receive the honor, which was announced at a staff meeting. She was awarded district recognition with a plaque and bonus check.

"It is a huge honor to have my colleagues nominate me for WMS Teacher of the Year," said Mrs. Wybrant. "I am shocked and very flattered. I work with many outstanding educators, and there are so many other teachers that should/could have received this award. I am very thankful."

Her role at WMS includes teaching six math classes daily and serving as an enrichment coordinator, leadership committee member and Student Council sponsor. She plans daily lessons, disaggregates student data to monitor and adjust teaching for student progress and coordinates with parents on their students' behavior, grades, progress and mastery of math concepts.

She shared her favorite part of being a teacher: "I love the students I work with and seeing their improvement daily/weekly/yearly. I love seeing the look on their faces when they have worked so hard to grasp a concept, and it finally clicks. Being able to help them along their learning journey is the very best."

Her career goals include becoming a school counselor or principal.

Mrs. Wybrant graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree from Eastern New Mexico University in 2003 with a major in human resource management and a minor in economics. Her major was inspired by her father, who worked in human resource management. "I thought it was something I was interested in doing as well," she said.

She chose to attend Eastern in 1999 after visiting several schools. "I loved that ENMU was a small university where the professors know their students," explained the teacher, who was born and raised in Kirtland, New Mexico.

During her time at ENMU, she worked at the ID Card Office and was a member of the Society for Human Resource Management.

"I loved my four years at ENMU," she shared. "My professors were amazing and helped me whenever I asked for additional help. They were welcoming and made sure that they gave us every opportunity to succeed."

She feels that Eastern taught her many "organizational skills that have prepared me for my current job.  It also provided me with an excellent foundation of skills that I was able to apply in other job areas outside of business administration."

Her previous jobs include serving as a human resource manager for DKD Electric in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a human resource generalist for Professional Data Solutions in Temple, Texas, a clinic coordinator for Smile at the World Orthodontics in Killeen, Texas, and a teacher for the Killeen Independent School District in Ft. Hood, Texas.

"Teaching was never my goal when I went through college, but it has ended up to be an amazing job that I love," she explained. "Being able to help kids learn to love learning is very rewarding."

She offers the following advice to ENMU students interested in becoming teachers: "Teaching is fun, sad and very rewarding. Be prepared to never walk away from your job because teaching is a 24/7 job; you'll worry more about other peoples' kids than you ever thought was possible. Let the fun and exciting moments carry you through the tough times."

The Greyhound Grad's husband, Dustin, is a train engineer. The couple has two sons: Boston, a seventh grader, and Kolston, a fourth grader. They also have one daughter, Irelynn, who is in Pre-K.

Mrs. Wybrant, who volunteers to work with the three-year-olds at her church, shared that her role model is her father: "He is a hard worker and never makes excuses. He always goes above and beyond.  My dad is my hero and the best role model anyone could have. I strive to be like him and always seek the good in people. Just getting a job completed is never enough for him; he strives for perfection, and serves others throughout the process."