My name is Sarah Schwinge and I am a student in the UC Davis Teacher Credential and Masters program. This year I am student-teaching in a 5th grade classroom in West Sacramento, California. I grew up in both Maui, Hawaii and Santa Cruz, California (I am so lucky to have been raised in such beautiful places). I got my B.A. in Psychology and a minor in International Relations from UC San Diego in 2005. I love art - especially photography. Click here to see some of my recent photos. After graduation I took a full time job in a therapeutic group home facility for children. That experience led me to realize that I wanted to work with children as a life long career. In that position, I was able to see the very real impact that the staff had on the children's emotions, outlooks, and personalities. With time, these children developed trusting relationships with adults and were able to find their emotional footing. I found it very rewarding to be a part of their path to success and was inspired by the very real impact that I had on children's lives. Part of the process of raising successful students involves modeling appropriate ways to deal with situations encountered in life. I realized that people reach their fullest potential socially, biologically and cognitively when they are provided with the best environment possible. I feel that a teacher's goal is to foster healthy individuals so that they may be receptive to material in a classroom and more importantly, have the ability to deal most productively with their lives outside of school. Stability and safety in the classroom is crucial to success if they do not receive it in the home. Developing social competence, proper coping strategies, positive self-image and providing the safe environment necessary for children to grow in a healthy manner are all aspects of teaching. It is my hope that I can improve children's lives and foster a love for learning in each one of my future students. -Ms. Schwinge |