Bronwyn Sarles named FNQ’s best prep teacher, 2024

In a career spanning 30 years, a veteran prep teacher credits her littlest students as her biggest inspiration.

Mother of Good Counsel teacher Bronwyn Sarles has been awarded Far North Queensland's best prep teacher, as voted by Cairns Post readers. Picture: Brendan Radke

In a career spanning 30 years, veteran teacher Bronwyn Sarles credits her littlest students as her biggest inspiration.

The Mother of Good Counsel teacher was voted Far North Queensland’s best prep teacher by Cairns Post readers in a recent online poll.

Ms Sarles, who began her career as a high school teacher, said her biggest goal had always been to make a difference in the life of at least one child.

“I’ve got a quote above my desk that says in 100 years from now, it won’t matter what car I drove what my house looked like or how much money I earned, what matters is that I’ve made a difference in the life of a child,” Ms Sarles said.

Ms Sarles said she was humbled by the acknowledgment from parents and peers and credited her teacher aide Emma for her assistance to teach the 27 pupil class.

“It’s a team effort. I feel like I’m collecting it on behalf of myself and Emma. We’re a team and it’s important to acknowledge her,” Ms Sarles said.

An inspiration to many, Ms Sarles said one of the biggest rewards of her career was having former pupils come up to her to tell her she inspired them in their careers.

“Because I’ve been teaching for so long, I’ve had students I’ve taught who have become teachers who said they became a teacher because of me, which is really special,” she said.

However the highest honour Ms Sarles has had was after coming back to teach at Mother of Good Counsel after five years away.

“I when I came back to teach here, the Year Five’s and Sixes, who I taught in Year One, mobbed me and it was a realisation of how much impact you actually have and how special the relationship is that you build with students and their families,” she said.

Originally published as Bronwyn Sarles named FNQ’s best prep teacher, 2024