LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Susan Burgan was nominated by Jennie Dean, the grandparent of one of her students.

Mrs. Burgan is a teacher who commands the respect and attention of her students. She is able to keep children focused on their work and is passionate about providing her students with the best opportunities. Dean's grandson struggles with staying on task, but Mrs. Burgan has the ability to keep him focused and engaged.

"In order to get children off to the best start, a teacher must be encouraging, demanding, motivating, part-mom, part-educator and be able to get each and every child to feel like their education is the most important thing in the world," Dean said. "Susan Burgan is that Teacher!"

Mrs. Burgan is attuned to her students’ whole education and keeps track of their progress throughout the year. During conferences, she displays the achievement areas and past work, as well as areas of improvement. She is a caring educator who is always on top of issues in the classroom, making sure that consequences are fair to the students involved. Mrs. Burgan has the ability to change students' study habits and turn their work ethic around to get them back on track. 

"I have the utmost respect for Mrs. Susan Burgan," Dean said. "She is one of the best teachers in this school. Mrs. Burgan is doing a superb job with a large classroom of middle school students, who all have their own challenges. I am thankful my Grandson has had a committed, dedicated teacher like her!"