By Fancy Robbins
Even though she’s been teaching for 13 years, she still has the same goal from when she decided to pursue a career in education.
Mrs. Megan Byard, a new English teacher at Delta, wants to help people in more ways than just teaching.
Mrs. Byard’s younger brother, Nick, had special needs. Growing up, she watched him struggle in school with reading.
Their mother pulled him out of school in second grade and then redid the year with him. Mrs. Byard saw how hard it was for both of them.
“I thought to myself, ‘It does not have to be this way,’” she said. “From then on, it was my goal to try to make [reading] to where it wasn’t hard or intolerable for people to do.”
She enjoyed reading herself, but seeing her brother struggle is what gave her the desire to become a teacher.
She’s now in her 13th year teaching, but this year is at a new school. She attended Ball State University and did her student teaching at Daleville. Immediately after she graduated, she was hired at Jay County Schools in Portland. She taught both middle and high school there for 12 years.
Since she always has lived in Muncie, driving to Portland daily was a lot. The drive would be 40 minutes there and back.
“I have young children in elementary that want to see me more and get involved in things after school, so it was a move for my family,” Byard said.
She now teaches English 9 and English 10 here at Delta High School.
“I really enjoy teaching the classics from English 9 and making them interesting for people,” Byard said.
Megan and her husband Kyle have a nine-year-old daughter, Audrey, a six-year-old daughter, Eva, and a one-year-old daughter, Caroline. They also have a daughter named Jane that would be turning 3 this upcoming fall, but unfortunately passed away a day after birth.
Something special about the Byard family is that they do taekwondo together. The parents started it with their oldest daughter when she was 4.
They’ve been doing it for five years, and now their 6-year -old also does it. Eventually their toddler will as well.
“Right now outside of school that’s consuming my life … shuffling my kids from where they need to be,” Byard said.
On Saturday, Aug. 26, Mrs. Byard and her husband earned their black belts.
She also enjoys watching TV and is watching the sitcom “Friends” currently.
