Instructional Coaches
Bedford County Schools utilizes instructional coaches across the district to partner with classroom teachers in deepening their understanding of effective learning strategies. This commitment to continuous learning and growth helps us learn as a community of educators and helps us present lessons in ways that enhance student learning.
Click below to meet the instructional coach for your child’s school.
Meet Regan Aymett - Community Elementary School

3. What is your favorite thing about being a coach? What drives your passion for coaching?
4. What is your favorite inspirational education quote?
Meet Lee Ann Butts - District Elementary Instructional Coach

This is my third year as an instructional coach! I was a classroom teacher for 26 years and am in my 28th year with Bedford County Schools. I love learning!
2. Why did you want to become a coach?
I believe that everyone has greatness inside of them. “Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve.” (MLK, Jr.) Being an instructional coach will allow me to serve, support and help teachers and students rise to their greatness and work towards Bedford County’s mission and vision. A good coach can make a difference, but a great coach can be a game changer. I want to be a game changing, instructional coach that serves as a voice for teachers and students in the learning process. Enthusiasm for learning is contagious and I want to be an advocate for education and the role it plays in molding our future.
My favorite part about being an instructional coach is collaborating with colleagues and learning from others. Creating partnerships with teachers is the best part. Supporting teachers on their pathways to our district’s goals is an important part of being a coach, while remaining student focused. Being able to celebrate teachers and students in the learning process is such a rewarding experience. “The most valuable resource that all teachers have is each other. Without collaboration, our growth is limited by our own perspectives.” (Robert John Meehan) I am honored to be a part of the instructional team that supports and builds capacity in our teachers. I love learning and want to serve and support our champion teachers and students on the road to success. Being a voice and an educational advocate for students and teachers is an honor. “Education provides the fullest opportunities for fulfilling ourselves. It is the access to all that a person has yet to learn.” Education can change your life and I accept the challenge of supporting learning in our district.
4. What is your favorite inspirational education quote?
Meet Kristie Caldwell - Eakin Elementary School

Meet Hannah Fanning - Harris Middle School

This is my 6th year serving as an Instructional Coach at Harris Middle School. Prior to that, I taught 7th grade ELA at Harris.
I wanted to become a coach because I feel very passionately about helping teachers. I know the areas that I struggled with as a new teacher and what I would have loved to have support in personally. I love being able to provide that type of support to our teachers. I also know how important it is for teachers to have someone to bounce ideas off of and to seek out feedback about instructional practices. My goal at the end of each day is to help alleviate some of the stress my teachers feel and to make them each feel appreciated and valued. I work with a great group of teachers, and I absolutely love what I do!
I would say what drives my passion as a coach is seeing both our teachers and students grow. As I think about the specific challenges teachers and students have faced this year, I feel it is up to me to remind them of how far we have come and how much improvement we have seen not only in ourselves but in our students. I love being able to help teachers see the big picture and remind them of the impact they are having on their students.
I would say a quote that stands out to me is “The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you”—B.B. King. I feel very strongly that our students have an unlimited amount of potential. As teachers, it is our job to equip them with the knowledge they will need to be critical thinkers in their day to day lives in order for them to make decisions that positively benefit them throughout life.
I am a native of Bedford County. My entire K-12 experience was in Bedford County, and I love that I now get to serve in this position within our county. I have been married to my husband, Heath, for 7 years in June, and we have a daughter.
Meet Jennifer Gray - Learning Way Elementary

Meet Lindy Holland - Liberty School

Meet Malcolm Martin - Harris Middle School

2. Why did you want to become a coach? Coaching is something that I had always been passionate about. From the basketball court to the classroom, I had always felt my leadership and teaching style resembled high-level professional coaches. Coaches are quick thinkers, innovative and are able to adjust on the fly. Likewise, I believe high quality educators are similar. I believe every student deserves a high-quality education, and in order for ALL students to receive high quality education, there must be high quality leaders. Teachers are some of the most influential people in a child’s life, and I wanted to help teachers learn and develop skills where they can meet children where they are and help them grow and develop into the best students and citizens they can be.
3. What is your favorite thing about being a coach? What drives your passion for coaching? Growth! It is always great to watch others grow and develop their craft. Whether it is a student or teacher, anyone that I am able to impact in a positive way means so much and makes coming to work worth it every day.
4. What is your favorite inspirational education quote? The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education." It is a beautiful thing when students achieve in our core content areas such as ELA, math, science, and social studies. However, what is even greater is when we have taught students to be an integral part of our communities, to treat each other with respect and to be life-long learners. The goal of true education is to teach the whole student.
5. What other information do you feel would be beneficial to know about you or your position? After graduating high school, I joined the military at the age of 18. I completed ten years in the military, four years active duty and six in the National Guard. I have a beautiful wife and two beautiful daughters, ages three and two. They keep me going. I am excited to help Bedford continue to grow and become one of the best districts in the state.
Meet Katie Myers - East Side Elementary School

2. Why did you want to become a coach? I saw a way to help support my fellow coworkers. Teaching is a mentally taxing job, therefore, it can be nice to have someone in your corner looking ahead for you and advocating for your needs.
3. What is your favorite thing about being a coach? What drives your passion for coaching? My favorite thing about being a coach is visiting all the classrooms! Teaching can be a very isolating activity, and in this role I get to visit every room and see the wonderful things happening in them. I then get to act as a liaison and share with other teachers the awesome ideas and activities that I see. The thing that drives my passion for coaching is my relentless pursuit of knowledge! I love learning! I especially love learning when it is a collaborative activity, and we can all build off of one another’s strengths.
4. What is your favorite inspirational education quote? I’m not sure if this is an “educational quote” per se, but it is one that I use daily within my educational experience working in schools. “Do not think that love in order to be genuine has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired. Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.” – Mother Teresa
Meet Angela Tyre - Community Middle School

2. Why did you want to become a coach? I want to be a servant to the teachers I help. Teaching is a tough job. I know what it feels like to have your emotional bowl empty at the end of the day. Teachers need as much help and encouragement as we give our students. I want to be someone who supports, encourages, and guides all teachers, not just our new teachers. Most importantly, I want to be someone who is worthy of this position.
3. What is your favorite thing about being a coach? What drives your passion for coaching? My favorite thing about being a coach is being able to encourage teachers to keep going, to keep up the good work, to keep plugging away at their craft. There were times in my teaching career, especially at the beginning, when I felt alone, discouraged, and unsupported. As time went on, instructional coach positions were created in Bedford County, and I was able to work with two astounding instructional coaches who saved me! Right then, I knew I wanted to work in this capacity. I have always wanted to be an instructional coach so I could make sure no teacher felt the way I felt when I started my career 24 years ago.
4. What is your favorite inspirational education quote? My favorite quote isn't an educational quote, but I relate it to education and teaching. Kirby Smart, one of the greatest Georgia Bulldogs coaches of all time said, "You don't win games kicking field goals." There is a lot of truth behind this statement when talking about education. We can play the game, put a few points on the board, and maybe have a mediocre season. What really determines the outcome of the game are the big plays and the touchdowns. As with education, we can be satisfied with mediocrity and complacency, or we can work hard and win big.
Meet Melynda Whitaker - Southside Elementary School
