Sarah Miesner
Nixa Public Schools 2018
Teacher of the Year
Missouri Regional Teacher of the Year
• Who is/was your favorite
teacher and why?
My second grade teacher, Mrs. Darron,
was my favorite teacher growing up. She
used science throughout all of her lessons
which I now do myself at John Thomas
School of Discovery. She was always very
kind, understanding, and never judgemental
if we didn’t understand something.
• If money was unlimited. What would
you do with your summer vacation?
If money was unlimited for my summer
vacation, I’d want to travel to as many
countries as I could with my family. I’d want
to visit historical places I’ve studied. I’m
sure my family would add to the list as well.
Knowing my daughter we’d probably stay in
a country that needed help and she’d want
to use our unlimited funds to feed others.
• If you could be anything in the world,
what would you be and why?
If I could be anything in the world I would
be a teacher. I wanted to be a teacher as
long as I can remember.
• What is an unusual fact about you?
An unusual fact about me is that I have
had several knee surgergeries. I had
screws placed in my left knee but was still
able to run on cross country teams in both
high school and college.
• What is your secret talent?
A secret talent that I have would be
painting. When I was younger I took
painting lessons and enjoyed art. I
did receive blue ribbons for my work,
however, I never felt that I was to
pursue an art degree.
• If you had a super power,
what would it be?
A super power that I would want to
have is superhuman endurance. I love
endurance running and if I had this
super power I could run forever and
not get tired. I would also be able to
plan better lessons for my students. At
home, I’d be able to complete all of my
ideas I have. I’m constantly thinking of
things to do, but run out of energy. It
would be amazing to never be tired.
• Would you rather live without the
internet or live without heating and AC?
I’d rather live without heating and
air conditioning, than without
internet. I love learning, and the
internet is an amazing resource
full of knowledge right at your
fi ngertips. I’d use the internet to
fi gure out innovative ways
to live without heating and
cooling or to fi nd a place
that didn’t require either.
• Would you rather be
able to teleport anywhere
or read minds?
I would rather teleport
anywhere than read
minds. Reading minds
can be a bit scary and
I’d rather not know what
others are thinking. If I
could teleport anywhere,
traveling would be so much
easier as I do get car sick.
It would allow me to travel
quickly to the places my
students and I are learning
about. I could bring back
artifacts and pictures. Better
yet, maybe I could take my
whole class with me. That would
be an amazing learning experience.
• What was your favorite toy
growing up?
Growing up, some of my favorite toys
were matchbox cars. I enjoyed learning
about cars and going to car
shows. I did have dolls but I usually
set them up for display only.
• What accomplishment are you most
proud of?
The accomplishment I am most proud
of is becoming a teacher. It was what I
wanted to do. I will never forget the day
I got my fi rst teaching job. I remember
grabbing the principal’s arm and thanking
her. Looking back, she probably thought
I was a bit strange but I was excited and
ready to start.
• What would you do if you were
invisible for a day?
If I was invisible for a day, I would probably
sneak into the Oval offi ce to hear the
top secret conversations. I would want to
know what really goes on.
• If you could time travel where
would you go?
If I could time travel, I would go back
to the Biblical times to watch the Red
Sea part and walk through. I would
also want to time travel to various
times in history to meet Anne
Frank or Abraham Lincoln.
• What’s your guilty pleasure
snack food?
Most of the time, I’m a health
nut, however I do enjoy the occasional
Andy’s trip with my
family. My daughter and I
like to split the Chocolate
Brownie Concrete.
• What do you hope
to accomplish each
year in your
class- room?
My main goals that I hope to
accomplish each year are that
every student leaves with a love for
learning and has an idea of what
their gifts are that they can use to
help others.
• Why is it important that
teachers believe that all
children can learn?
It is important that teachers believe
that all children can learn because
that belief can change the direction
of a child’s life. I feel it is even
important to go as far as visualizing
what you think they are going to
become when they grow up. When
you do that, you begin to treat the
child that way and they rise up
to your expectations. Belief and
encouragement can do amazing
things in people’s lives.
14 THE NEST NIXA PUBLIC SCHOOLS MAGAZINE SUMMER 2018