Photo Info: Meridith Barney (SPS) and Michelle Matheson (Simmons Bank)
Throughout our educational journey, we learn from many teachers. Each teacher has their own teaching style, and some can have a bigger influence on us than others. For Meridith Barney, there was one teacher in particular who stood out.
“I think the teacher that had the biggest impact on me would have been Patsy Sturm, my senior English teacher,” she said. “She was tough but fair. I knew I wanted to be like her as a teacher.”
Barney teaches sophomore English at Stillwater High School. She is in her third year at Stillwater, but this is her 28th year overall. She has also taught at Canton, Seiling, and Taloga High Schools.
While she does not remember the exact moment she decided to become an educator, Meridith knows she has wanted to do this for a long time.
“I don’t know why I wanted to go into education,” she said. “I remember school was all I ever wanted to play when I was a child. All I could ever remember wanting to be was a teacher.”
When asked what she enjoys most about teaching, Barney’s response was simple.
“I enjoy getting to know the students and seeing their growth in my class and as a person.”
Over the years, she has been given numerous pieces of advice from fellow teachers. But she has one that she still uses.
“Never say never,” she said. “I use this one every day.”
Meridith’s husband, Kyle, is also an English teacher at Stillwater. They have two sons and two grandchildren. When she is not teaching, she enjoys reading, gardening, and spending time with her grandchildren.
While she enjoys teaching at Stillwater, Barney says it was literally a journey to get there.
“My husband and I moved here three years ago from western Oklahoma,” she said. “This involved moving a whole cattle ranch. This took a year to do. I love Stillwater Schools and am so glad to be here.”