Sarah Eichler

Q: How has the transition to Sage been so far?

A: So far it’s been really great because I feel really supported by staff and students in the transition. You all have such awesome curriculum designed by your teachers here. Everything was so amazingly organized and structured in a way that it was pretty easy for me to jump in so late in the school year and still have an understanding of what’s going on. But then when I am confused, I feel like I can ask a student like “what’s the best way for me to do this?” “How do other teachers do this?” Or another teacher will come over and be like, “Hey, I was just making sure everything was going okay, that you got that lesson alright.” So I feel very supported by the Sage Creek community in general.

Q: What would you say your personal teaching philosophy is?

A: I think for me one of the most important things is that as wonderful as English content is — like I personally love literature —  it’s not necessarily what the focus should be on. In terms of an enduring understanding, what I think is important for students to remember in 15 to 20 years, it’s not necessarily who wrote “The Great Gatsby,” it’s more what skills did you learn from collaborating with your peers, or creating something together or expressing your opinions on how this literature relates to a more universal concept or idea.

Q: What are some fun facts about you?

A: One fun fact about me is that I was a professional dancer for a little over four years in New York before I decided to come back and become a teacher.

Q: By come back, do you mean you used to live here?

A: I grew up in San Diego and went to Canyon Crest Academy, I’m part of the second graduating class of Canyon Crest. So then after I went to UC Santa Barbara for school, I moved to New York to dance and then started doing outreach dance teaching and that’s what brought me back to teaching here.

Q: What are you looking forward to in your time at Sage?

A: I love how technology focused everything is. I haven’t been to a school that had students and teachers on technology this much. I think that considering the trajectory of our society right now, it’s super important to be building these skills. So I think that’s really awesome both for myself and for my students. I also have been loving being a part of the Genius Project. It’s so cool to hear where all of your interests lie, what is important to you and what you’re passionate about.

Q: What are some things you do during the weekend?

A: I love seeing live music, so I’ll try to find places to go see a local band perform or go to concerts. I also live right on the beach, so I spend a lot of time on the beach as well.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to add that we missed?

A: I love being a part of the Sage Creek community, it’s been really awesome. I look forward to seeing you through to the end of the year!