MSTA member named 2026 Outstanding Rural Educator

Bronaugh first grade teacher Sarah Morris was named 2026 Outstanding Rural Educator by the Missouri Association of Rural Education (MARE).

Sarah Morris (middle) stands beside her building principal, Rick Fast (left), and the Bronaugh R-7 Superintendent Beth Sandness (right). Photo courtesy of Sarah Morris.

How long have you been an educator?

"I have taught for 29 years, all in the same first grade classroom. This is a true blessing to me."

What do you enjoy about working in a rural district, and how does teaching in a rural school shape the relationships you build with your students, colleagues, and community?

"Being a teacher in the rural Bronaugh R-7 School District in Bronaugh, Missouri, has allowed me to create memories and teach many second-generations of families in our community. I have been the first grade teacher here at Bronaugh going on 29 years. My own mother and father also taught here, and my father, for most of his career, in the neighboring school district of Liberal, Missouri. I teach in this district not just because we have great people, but because this is my home, and I love Bronaugh and this school and community. Combined with my family, my church family, and my school and community, the desire and drive to love what I do and the people I work with have been ingrained in me my whole life. I have always wanted my own children to grow up with these same principles of love for others. And now, two of my own grown children have made the decision to serve as teachers also. My oldest daughter, Annabelle Morris, teaches sixth, seventh, and eighth grade social studies in Rich Hill, Missouri, and my second daughter, Emma Morris, teaches third grade next to me here in Bronaugh.

Sarah Morris (front left) and her family celebrate her son's graduation. Photo courtesy of Sarah Morris.

One of the reasons I decided to become a teacher was the influence that my own two parents have had on so many children in their lifetime. Not only were they school teachers and had their own family, but they also kept foster children. The powerful impact they had and still do have on children, whether they were in their classroom or in their own house, will always be remembered for generations to come.

My desire for each and every student is for them to learn lifelong lessons that will be passed on for generations to come, just like my own parents' legacy. Whether that lesson is in the area of reading, math, science, social studies, or learning how to be kind and work out a problem with a neighbor, each lesson is a worthy one and one essential for the in-depth growth needed for a child to grow up to attain and lead a successful life, whether lived in a rural or urban community.

My school is my other home. It is what helps define me. Every day that I come to work, I am determined to teach in such a way that each child will be comfortable, feel safe, and make decisions to behave appropriately and in a way that will help them learn to the fullest extent possible. I am so thankful and blessed that I am able to be a part of so many children’s lives here in this small school district that I love to call my rural school, Bronaugh R-7."

What is a challenge that you have had to overcome while working in a rural district?

"There is a book that was shared with me a few years back by a very close teacher and friend of mine. This book and its message represent what I am about as a teacher, and I tear up thinking about it. I believe the book she gave me is a very close reflection of our lives. 'My Great-Aunt Arizona' is a book written by Gloria Houston and illustrated by Susan Condie Lamb. The story is about a teacher who teaches in the same community where she grew up. She enjoys and is content with her life. I feel this book reflects my own life and teaching career, and every year I share it with my students and the meaning that it has to me.

Learning opportunities and places the students could grow up and visit someday are just a few of the multiple topics the main character introduces to her children. As I stated above, she also teaches her students the art of loving and being content with the life that has been planted in a person’s heart and to live and enjoy life to the fullest extent. Every year when I read this book, the children ask me why I tear up and have a hard time reading it. I tell them they are one of the many important reasons that I enjoy my life. I desire to teach them as many important lessons as I can before I pass them on to the next teacher. They understand in that moment that they are loved, cared about, and important to me and so many others.

It is important for me to reflect a desire to my students to live out my life in a way that blooms with being content. I believe the Lord has put a desire in my heart to serve Him and work in the mission field of teaching children academics and emotional stability. For me, fulfilling His calling for my life is the definition of being truly content in Him.

Wherever I am, somehow serving others in one capacity or another must always be the next goal. Being content in the moment with the task at hand is what will turn those goals into a blessed life.

In a world where being content is not a popular idea, sometimes we have to swim upstream and not with the flow of our little creek."

How important are public schools and a good education in rural communities like Kirbyville?

"A school is the heartbeat of the Community. When you lose a school, the community eventually dies. The heart = life. No heart = no life."

How does it feel to be named Outstanding Rural Educator of the Year?

"As a child, I grew up with parents who were both rural educators, loving parents to my two brothers and myself, and caring foster parents to many children that needed a safe and loving home. My siblings and I lived by observing our parents live their lives for others. They were models of how to learn, laugh, and love while yielding a servant's heart. The example was set, and I could see myself doing nothing else. The honor of living out this legacy that they set before me is my privilege, honor, and calling. I could do nothing else, and I am blessed every day because of it. Thank you for this great honor."