Lisa Bratton

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more selfless person than Lisa Bratton. For those of you who don’t have the privilege of personally knowing this rockstar, Lisa is a math teacher at Robinson Middle who has spent the last 30+ years of her life raising two kids of her own—and helping to raise thousands of others.

Lisa is a servant leader, plain and simple. Honestly, I’m not sure if she ever has any “me” time! Just about each of her waking hours is spent investing in our kids. A typical day for Lisa might start at 6:30, as she prepares to welcome students to Robinson’s morning FCA and then continue through several math classes, where she demonstrates everything from long division and trigonometric ratios to Christ-like compassion. But 3:00 comes, and she’s not finished yet. She opens her classroom to students as part of the Mathcounts program and works with them on advanced math concepts until 4:30. There was even a time when she’d then jet over to Dobyns-Bennett and hold meetings as the Band Boosters President—a title that oversees a community of 350 band kids and additional parents, volunteers, and staff. Her schedule makes me tired just writing about it.
 

Words cannot express my appreciation for Lisa Bratton, not only because of her explicit impact on our education outcomes, but because of her implicit dedication to extending compassion, patience, persistence, and generosity to those around her. People like Lisa are rare in lots of places, but I know she would echo me in saying that her kind of dedication is actually quite common in our Kingsport City Schools. Really, teachers like Lisa are everywhere in our schools; it’s why we have achieved such success in the past, and it’s something we must preserve to ensure success in the future.Lisa is a Profile in Commitment—a friend and role model who inspires me to be the most committed and compassionate person I can be.Thank you, Lisa, for everything you do—for being an amazing teacher, a dedicated servant, and a dear friend.