Sara Bengston Gauldin

I have been a classroom teacher for eight years. I work in an area where we must be creative and resourceful to reach our varied students on a shoe string budget. I use the skills I obtained in my first career as a computer technician to make and modify materials to better fit the students I have or the objective I plan to reach. I have taught first grade for five years, then I moved to second grade where I have taught for three more years. I also have some experience with tutorial programs on the fourth and fifth grade levels and summer school sessions at a kindergarten level.

I use quite a bit of student interactions and collaborative learning as I teach. Last year I created a methodology and material to allow for small groups in reading. My workstation designs have allowed for greater one on one and small group instruction within the regular school day. Our school has embraced the DI and RTI models and I strive to use those models in my instruction. I have recently undertaken some course work in STEM instruction which incorporates engineering and algebraic concepts into the curriculum. As a result I have energized my science curriculum to be more interactive and intensive. I tend to use repetition and reinforcement in instruction. I am a firm believer in Daily Language Arts Review and the Daily Math Calendar.

I have written for and received grants to enhance the classroom.

I have obtained my Associates in Computer Networking, My bachelors of Science in Liberal arts with focus areas in Education, history, Psychology and Sociology and Graduate level course work in many K!2 science and reading topics.

I am a teacher and a mother of four boys. I make many materials for my classroom, and some for my own children to work on at home. In my spare time I tinker with computers and work on my other occupation as a budding author.