About Sara
Sara Church truly earned the honor of being named San Diego Unified School District’s “Teacher of the Year.” She was honored with a California State Fellowship for her work on restructuring schools and named a mentor teacher to help guide colleagues in the region. Sara has covered just about every subject during her 36 year plus career, but she is not one to rest on routine. While searching for ways to make her campus more sustainable, Sara discovered California’s free Environmental Education Initiative (EEI) and knew it would be a perfect fit for her students at Dingeman Elementary School. “I love EEI because it offers my students an engaging curriculum… (and) provides activities which promote critical thinking and problem solving.” With all of the added demands on teachers, Sara is thankful for EEI’s support of Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards. She says the current, relevant units help keep students interested in the classroom materials while helping them make connections between actions of today and the impacts of tomorrow. While Sara boasts teaching credentials in education, special education, and second language – she says the lessons and teaching materials included in the free EEI curriculum have enhanced her teaching – and student comprehension. She’s excited to share her experiences as an EEI Teacher Ambassador.
When I teach environmental literacy in my class I feel like I am opening a door for students to walk through. This door opens to empowerment, knowledge, and stewardship. Children want to be big thinkers. The more I challenge them with big ideas the more they rise to the occasion, and learning about the environment […]