When Liz Reed graduated from Owasso High School 2001, she attended Oklahoma State University where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Broadcasting in 2005. Reed took an alternate path to obtaining her teaching certificate in secondary English and Journalism. Teaching has become a second career for Reed once she discovered her love for education after spending several years in the business word.
“I was on the Owasso Colorguard staff throughout my college years and transitioned into a director role after I graduated. I essentially worked two jobs and realized I loved coaching significantly more than sales. It was the connection to my students that motivated me to turn my Journalism degree into a secondary English certification. I started my teaching career in 2007 but paused for several years when my husband and I started our family. I headed back to the classroom when our youngest started Kindergarten in 2020,” said Reed.
That passion for education was developed over time thanks to a few teachers who made an impact on Reed throughout her time as a student.
“There are a handful of educators who had an incredible impact on my life and influenced the way I teach today. I had a tough family life at home, and my teachers were always a safe place. Funny enough, I can’t remember any specific skills I learned from these teachers, but I remember that they believed in me, encouraged me, and gave me opportunities to lead and grow. If my students don’t remember a thing from my class, I hope they remember that I cared,” said Reed.
Being an English Language Arts teacher is more than just reading and sentence structure. Reed said the connections with students and colleagues are her favorite aspect of teaching.
“When I take the time to genuinely know my students, they feel safe, and their guard comes down. When their guard is down, they do their best learning. When I take the time to genuinely know my students, I know how to encourage and motivate them to live into their best selves- both academically and personally.”
As a former graduate of Owasso Public School, Reed said the district is a special place because of the amount of pride the students and faculty have in the school.
“I feel so lucky to be an OPS employee. Our leadership is second to none, and the emphasis on a collaborative effort in planning and teaching forces teachers to be lifelong learners and growers ourselves! Our family spent eight years in Phoenix, AZ. I’ll never forget right after we moved back, our oldest asked, “Why are there Ram heads everywhere?” We told him, “That’s called community pride, bud!” Raising our kids as Owasso Rams is so special,” said Reed.
In her free time, Reed said the family is all-in on extracurricular activities.
“You’ll find me with my husband at whatever sporting event/school activity our kids are playing/performing in. My 10th grader plays baseball for the Rams, my 8th grader plays drums in the Owasso Band, my 6th grader plays baseball for his club team and saxophone in the Owasso Band, and my 4th grader cheers and plays softball. If I have any other free time, I’m reading,” said Reed.
