Hey there! I'm Sarah. Some people call me Ms. Sarah, Ms. Ni, or even Roo-tang (because I ain't nothin' to mess with :0) 

I'm a California-credentialed teacher, proud dog mom, writer, and forever student. My path to teaching was anything but straightforward: a BFA in printmaking, a yoga certification, a long time working with nutrition and herbalism, and four businesses I started myself (some did well, others taught me invaluable lessons by failing). I've lived in San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Oahu, and Silicon Valley, and I'm now back home in Encinitas after 22 years to be close to family.

Teaching wasn't originally on my radar, I didn't actually think I would be a good teacher. But I have always wanted to build a better world for kids, and eventually realized teaching was my way in. Once I started, I found I was something like a translator for them, and I could understand them in ways my colleagues could not. I saw transformations happen right in my classroom, and I was hooked.

When I'm not teaching, you'll find me with Loki (who lives up to his name), in the ocean, an old book, on a yoga mat, or knee-deep in writing.

I love kids, and I love teaching. 

I believe that being honest and accountable with kids teaches them to be honest and accountable with you. I believe in the power of our brains to change and grow, and I believe self-discipline is a superpower. I believe in crafts, in messes, and in humanity.

I also believe that public schools are masking the reality of education from parents — through opaque communication and the appearance of support that isn't really there. Families deserve the truth about what's happening in their children's classrooms, and kids deserve adults who will tell it to them straight.

I teach with high expectations and a positive voice. I show my students that I respect them and myself, and they meet me there. I'm fair, clear, and honest with my students and their families, because kids deserve direct communication, and parents deserve the full story. 

I believe kids need to know they're safe, and they need to know they're allowed to make mistakes in order to learn. I hold space for that. I scaffold the path forward but never require less, because I genuinely believe my students are capable of more than the system tends to ask of them. I don't believe in punishing kids for being developmentally appropriate, I think it leads to confusion. I believe in teaching them what's socially acceptable and why without shame.

My classrooms run on treasures we create: writing books, creating podcasts, building real businesses. The kind of work kids carry with them long after the school year ends. Growth mindset seeps into everything I do, and I'm endlessly inspired by our beautiful brains. I want my students to understand themselves and their community, and how the two are connected. I believe we all have something to offer, and my job is to help each student find what theirs is.