Having a healthy and sustainable work-life balance is already no easy task. But taking on teaching two different English classes, coaching cross country, and being there for her three children and husband at home is what that combination looks like for Teacher of the Year Sarah Burgess. Burgess teaches English 3 and Honors English 2, and is evidently amazing at what she does, and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
“It’s really fulfilling in a way I can’t quite explain,” Burgess said. “There are dry times, like there are in any profession, but I feel like I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing. At the end of the day, I really cannot think of another career where I feel like there is as much that I could invest in myself or get back.”
Burgess grew up already emulating the role of a teacher as the oldest of three children, and largely has her 11th grade English teacher to thank as one of her biggest influences. Originally an Elementary Education major, Burgess officially decided to make the switch to teaching high school after an incident occurred while carving a pumpkin. But as any of her students can attest, this decision was for the best.
“Mrs. Matthews was my very favorite teacher,” Burgess said. “She was so engaging, and when I was in the play my senior year, she followed up with me and kept in touch. She made a big impact on me, and seeing that, I thought, ‘I feel like that is the kind of teacher I would want to be.’”
Surprisingly, Burgess was not a Shakespeare buff as a high school student. Despite having now found her calling as an English teacher, this is not where she originally thought she would end up.
“I think I teach English because it’s probably the thing I’m best at, but if I had to go back and do it all over again I would do history,” Burgess said. “I adore history; when I go on vacation, my husband and I are nerds about going to historical sites and museums, and in my free time that’s what I like to listen to and study.”
For many teachers, picking their favorite subject to teach may feel like having to choose between their children (although it may be easier for some than others). For Burgess, though, she sees the pros and cons of both English 3 and Honors English 2, and has a deep appreciation for each of her classes.
“I love having both. I love the relational aspect of the English 3 classes; I like trying to help inspire or find ways to connect with kids that don’t love English, because I think that’s the real rewarding part of the job,” Burgess said. “It’s rewarding in a different way than the connections with students and the stimulating conversations you can have in an honors class.”
Teaching an Honors English class comes with its own responsibilities, too, especially when the students are willing to do anything and everything for a grade, which is not Burgess’ main expectation from her students.
“I almost feel like my job is completely different; I have a student right now that I’m going to threaten to take points away if I see her submit another assignment after midnight because she’s pushing herself too hard, where on the other side of the scale, I’m trying to motivate kids to just do the very basic stuff,” Burgess said. “I feel like I get the whole spectrum and I really enjoy that.”
Ironically, working too hard and taking away from her personal time outside of school is also something that Burgess herself has had to work on. Trying not to respond to every email or Remind message during her family time and giving her energy to something else has been a challenge, and is also one of the reasons she decided to start coaching cross country.
“I’ve historically struggled with that; I kind of get hyper focused on school a lot of times, and finding a balance has been my priority this year,” Burgess said. “When the bell rings, I need to shut it off and go do something else. I’m trying to do more book clubs with friends and do things like that so that I’m not grading all weekend. I’m trying, but it’s hard, because I care about it.”
Feeling like you’re not doing enough is a common phenomenon for almost everyone in education, and Burgess is not immune to that sentiment. However, finding ways to feel successful and find pride in her work no matter what is one thing she’s had to focus on, especially recently.
“I would be dumb to if I thought that every kid liked me, or everyone thought I deserved to be Teacher of the Year,” Burgess said. “But you just have to find your quiet space within yourself, and say ‘I’m going to do the best that I can, and if I bring my best to the table every day, then the rest of it doesn’t matter.”
Pride is also a funny thing, one that Burgess most definitely feels in terms of her winning Teacher of the Year, but also has a difficult relationship with.
“It’s a little bit embarrassing, because I can tell you, I can count on two hands how many other teachers I think are deserving of this,” Burgess said. “I think we all fill in gaps for other people, and that’s what’s great about this school, is that there are so many phenomenal teachers, that it’s really hard to boil it down to one. I also am very cognizant that there are so many people that are, in my opinion, even more deserving.”
Five years from now, Burgess sees herself still teaching at Parkway Central with her teacher besties, still making such an amazing impact on each of her students.
“Sarah is also a wonderful colleague. She is an excellent listener, funny and thoughtful,” said journalism teacher Christine Stricker in her nomination for Burgess.
In the future, you may see her and fellow teacher Libby Reed opening a plant-shop-slash-book-store, but for now, she’s more than content right where she is.
“At the end of the day, I would be crazy if I thought that every student was like, ‘Wow! That was an amazing lesson. I’m so glad that she taught me parenthetical citations today. Thank you.’ More than anything, I hope that they feel seen and valued,” Burgess said. “I hope that when they think of me or my class, that they think of somewhere where somebody believed in them.”
