LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Sarah Broughton was nominated by her friend, Tina Niemann.

Ms. Broughton builds relationships more often than kids crave candy!  She invests time, effort, and a great deal of baking into fostering relationships with her students, colleagues, parents and friends.

Every year, Ms. Broughton spends time getting to know her students and letting them get to know her. She gains trust and respect by giving trust and respect to her kids. Ms. Broughton lets kids into her life by relating her interests in sports, baking, selfies, music, her best dog Ruby, and books. She knows everything about her kids - who takes piano, who plays baseball, who is a brown belt in Karate, and who has three siblings to look after when they get home from school.  She looks after each of them, gives them all ridiculous nicknames (which they embrace all year long), attends many of their events, and asks them about their ideas, hopes, feelings and beliefs. 

Ms. Broughton has an incredibly loud sneeze, and she cries at any hint of sentimentality. Sometimes, during her awesome read alouds, she can hardly finish a chapter because of the tears! Every year, her students keep a sneeze count and a cry count. It is one of the highlights of Ms. B's class, and has become well-known on campus. She also does a fantastic job at teaching students. If you aren't a reader when you enter her classroom, there's a good chance you'll be one for life by the time you leave.

Ms. Broughton spent this past summer reading. Her goal: 50 young adult literature books in just over 60 days. She spent her summer in her "Cookie Camp," a brainchild of hers that she developed a few years ago. Students could sign up to come to Ms. Broughton's house to bake and frost cookies with her. These kids are students; current, former, and those wishing to be in Ms. B's class next year or the year after.

Hanging out with Ms. B doesn't stop at the end of the year. She follows these students and their parents throughout the rest of their school life and graduations into weddings, babies and businesses.

Ms. Broughton forms the same kinds of relationships with her team members. Her principal relies on her to be a sounding board and voice of reason. She has been a team leader and has trained others in classroom management techniques. She takes new teachers under her wings and shows them the ropes. Ms. Broughton recently completed Master Teacher Certification in her District and presented to many members of the adminstrative team about the process of becoming a Master Teacher.

Ms. Broughton not only spends time reading young adult literature, but inspirational educational books that keep her going in her profession. She strives every year to be better, to learn more, and to find a way to make a difference. She reads John Maxwell, Jon Gordon, and John Wooden, and lives their words through her work with her co-workers and students! 

Ms. Broughton has been a teacher in Tomball ISD for 27 years.  As her friends and co-workers move into other positions, she has expressed many times, "Is it bad that I just want to be a teacher? I just want to teach my kids. That's all I want to be, a teacher."