LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Kendelle Runer's nominator would like to remain anonymous.

Mrs. Runer is the most caring teacher one could ever meet! She definitely teaches with a big heart, and she teaches her colleagues how to be more compassionate.  She has considered getting her counseling degree in order to help students in a different setting, but doesn't want to lose her regular classroom full of kids.  Mrs. Runer wants to have the greatest impact with as many students as possible.

She also has had a high commitment to standards and precision when it comes to rules and regulations.  She is currently on the building leadership committee, often serving as their secretary and giving her opinion on changes within her school.  Mrs. Runer is a senior teacher in her building, and many teachers will go to her for help. She shares her compassion, empathy, and love of teaching with students and staff alike.

Former students always come back to visit her 3rd grade classroom; for many of them, it was the first time they felt like a teacher understood them and cared deeply for them.

"Kendelle just has a way with teaching and understanding her kiddo," said her nominator. "She wanted to be a teacher since she was five years old. She was setting up dolls and having a classroom of her own at home."