Lisa Raiber can remember the exact moment she realized she needed to pursue her reading degree.
As a second grade teacher, Raiber was sitting at the table with her reading group, using her basal reader to teach them, and she thought, “If I ever have a child who comes to me and they don’t know how to read, I don’t know what to do.” That’s when she decided to expand her knowledge base and prepare for a role as a reading specialist.
“As it turns out, being a reading specialist, I have had a few kiddos that we've had to start from scratch, so I was really driven by the need to know what to do if I had a child who didn’t know how to read,” Raiber explained.
Raiber is in her 21st year as a teacher at Norman Public Schools, currently working as a reading specialist at Monroe Elementary. Prior to joining the Monroe staff, Raiber spent 15 years at Eisenhower Elementary, and overall Raiber has been in public education for 38 years.
Raiber grew up in Oklahoma, primarily in the Tulsa area. After she and her husband, Mike, were first married, they moved to St. Louis for his job. Three years later, the Raibers returned to their home state to be near family and have lived here ever since, ending up in Norman when Mike started working at the University of Oklahoma. Because of the reputation Norman has for professional development, excellent teachers and for community support, Raiber knew she wanted to teach in the district.
After earning her bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University, Rabier finished her master’s program through Northeastern State University. She also went through National Board Certification in 2006 and completed the Oklahoma Writing Project.
When Raiber first started college, she was unsure of what she wanted to do as a career. She originally thought she wanted to be a nurse but eventually found her way to education, especially because she loves kids and being around them and has also always loved school. Raiber started out in the early childhood program, which at the time was geared toward working at the daycare level. She ended up switching to elementary education instead, which she says was a great move, adding that she “finally stumbled on the right thing” for her.
For Raiber, her favorite part of her job is the joy that comes from working with children and watching them learn and grow.
“Lightbulb moments when a kindergartner can finally rhyme or recognize a sight word or when a first grader can blend and read the word that he couldn’t read before, when a second grader wants to write in her journal because she knows enough letters and sounds that she can write that word at least pretty close to what the correct spelling is,” said Raiber of the moments that stand out for her day-to-day. “I work with kiddos who are reluctant readers, so seeing them get excited about reading or excited about being successful in literacy is what keeps me going. Every day is joyful.”
In her classroom, Raiber aims to make her students feel safe to take risks. She explained that some of her students come to her with a healthy dislike of reading because it has been hard for them. Thus, Raiber has to establish the trust that it’s okay to make mistakes and hopes to help foster a love of learning and a desire to learn. Her job as a reading specialist is to give her students the tools and the confidence they need to become excellent readers and writers.
Additionally, Raiber is a lifelong learner and feels that her role as an educator has been threefold. First, she’s a teacher of readers who are working to get to where they need to be and where they want to be. Next, she’s a colleague who provides resources other teachers can use in instruction. Finally, she is a teacher leader, collaborating with teachers to better everyone’s craft.
Outside of work, Raiber enjoys traveling with her husband and spending time with her family, which includes her daughters, Erin and Olivia, sons-in-law and grandchildren. Erin and Jason live in Texas and are parents to 2-month-old Eliza, while Olivia and Keegan live in Moore and have 16-month-old Theo. She also likes spending time with friends; walking her dog, Sophie; watching sports; working out; hiking; cooking; and gardening.
As for being named a finalist for District Teacher of the Year, Raiber said she is “humbled and honored.”
“I know from all my years of teaching in several different places, the stellar educators there are in this district, in this community, in the state, in our country,” Raiber stated. “To be a finalist is very humbling, and it's rewarding. But it also makes me want to try harder and live up to that honor.”