Sara Finlayson Email & Phone Number

For six years I’ve been a chameleon, morphing my skills and knowledge to support my students and their families. Families are diverse and have diverse needs. I learned how to accommodate and support them in a variety of ways. I did this by enhancing my own learning process through community outreach, research, and collaboration with my school site and network. My abilities as an educator range from academics, to social-emotional, to crises, and beyond. My experiences as an educator have shaped my qualities as a learner. Every situation is an opportunity to learn and grow. Being an educator has taught me how to anticipate the unexpected, how to be adaptable, flexible, solutions-oriented, resilient, and creative. I am prepared to use and expand on these skills in any professional context. I love to be creative and find creative ways to support students learning. For example, I make up songs and hand movements that go with the lessons I teach to make it stick for students. In addition, I design posters with color-coding and shapes. Recently, a colleague and I wrote, filmed, and edited a children’s puppet show for students to discuss social distancing in a friendly, comprehensive way, so that students may feel more at ease in our current chaotic climate.I enjoy and use technology frequently in the classroom to support students as another learning strategy. For example, my school network uses a platform called Clever, in which we have students operate multiple online learning programs, such as; Lexia, Freckle, Light Sail, and Reflex. Currently, I teach my students virtually and have curriculum-based lessons uploaded daily for families to access and engage with. As a teacher, I am constantly refining my methods because the variable is always changing and I must rise to the occasion to maintain success. I believe that my experience as a researcher triggered my reflective attitude since questioning the hypothesis is part of the process. When I reflect on my achievements I think about all the students I have taught to read and the access, knowledge, and power they now have to navigate the rest of their lives. I am an extremely reflective person. I know when I need to improve or ask for help. I think this is my best asset because it makes me approachable and flexible to learn and develop. I believe multiple passions can make a person dynamic and provide them different lenses in which to view the world. I’m passionate about education, technology, art, and culture. I love to learn, discuss, research, and create.

Listed skills include Leadership, Teaching, Behavior Management, Conflict Management, and 9 others.