About Me

Boozhoo, Welcome to my eFolio. My name is Sarah Pylvanen and I have been working in Education for over 16 years with prior years’ experience in business and management. I am excitedly seeking an Administrator position at a nearby school. I value the opportunity to work, and continue to invest, in our extended rural community. I am currently work as the Interim K-12 Assistant Principal and Special Education Coordinator/Supervisor at Nay Ah Shing Schools with the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. I am a member of the Region 5 & 7 Special Education Directors through MASE.

EDUCATION & CREDENTIALS:

In 2019 I completed my Education Specialist (Ed.S.) degree from MN State University Moorhead with licensure as a K-12 Principal and Special Education Director. I chose to complete both licensure areas as I believe that it is vital to be knowledgeable in best practices for all student developmental levels and to develop strong collaborations between general education and special education teachers.

MDE File Folder #421226

• 2019 Education Specialist (Ed.S.) degree; K-12 Principal & Special Education Director

• 2009 Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree from the University of Minnesota in Early Childhood and Early Childhood Special Education

• 2003 Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree from the University of Minnesota in Early Childhood Education

• 2000 Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree from Anoka Ramsey Community College

MY BELIEFS:

I believe in the importance of inspiring a lifelong love of learning for all students, in encouraging curiosity and dreaming, in developing positive social-emotional skills, in teaching students to be responsible, compassionate, involved citizens, and fostering a supportive learning environment with students, school staff, county agencies, and community members.

I am committed to education and supporting students, families, and schools in any way I can. I am excited for the opportunity to increase school wide support systems and continue a whole child focus. I believe that it is time to rethink how we educate students. Students need instruction and curriculum with a focus on social emotional learning, and I believe that it must be taught in the classroom alongside academics. As budgets shrink, and student needs grow, school staff require additional tools to reach every student including; focused trainings on positive classroom management, methods for supporting students with high Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), relationship and community building techniques, and training that includes strategies for differentiation in classrooms where students have widely varying abilities. I believe in continuous learning and improvement for myself, and all school staff, in order to strengthen our understanding of best practices, increase instructional fidelity, and to provide opportunities to collaborate with our peers.

I strongly believe that schools should be the hub for communities; schools should be where people come to support and learn from one another, access resources, build connections, and celebrate successes. Schools should be leading the way in community improvement and connection. Connection happens by first successfully engaging with people where they are accessible. I believe schools need to find innovative ways to connect with families that help to build positive relationships and trust.

EDUCATION EXPERIENCE:

In December 2005, I completed my Early Childhood teaching license, birth through grade 3, and began my teaching career by substitute teaching in Minneapolis, MN in ECSE preschool through sixth grade. In spring of 2006 I was hired as a seasonal Mentor Teacher for Tri-Valley Migrant Head Start in Coon Rapids, MN. As Mentor Teacher, I was responsible to train, mentor, and support classroom teachers and paraprofessionals to effectively deliver differentiated instruction in infant, toddler, and preschool classrooms. Fall of 2006, I was hired as a Kindergarten Intervention Program (KIP) teacher and third grade extended day teacher in the Anoka-Hennepin School District. In this position, I was able to work collaboratively with kindergarten and third grade teachers to review data and develop instructional strategies to address student learning objectives.

In the spring of 2006, I was hired as the year-round Center Director for Tri-Valley Migrant Head Start's North Metro location, and stayed in that position for two and half years. As Center Director, I was able to relocate our Migrant Head Start to a new city. I was responsible for daily operation of the center, managing the budget, hiring, training, and supervising our seasonal staff of teachers, paraprofessionals, a mentor teacher, a family service worker, a nurse, and a program assistant. Every fall our center was closed down, packed up, and then re-opened in the spring. When the center was closed, my time was spent on reconciling current budgets and using that data to create the next year's projected expenses, attending trainings, committee meetings, extending county organization collaborations, licensing, and facility upkeep. During my "off-season" my hours were flexible, and I was able to complete my Special Education License. This opportunity ignited my passion for working with children who have special needs and their families and led me to return to the public school system.

For the next four years, I worked in the Mora ISD #332 as a full time Early Childhood Special Education Teacher and part-time Family Facilitator. While in this position I had the opportunity to accept additional leadership roles including membership in the Substance Abuse Coalition of Kanabec County (S.A.C.K), Kanabec County Family Violence Prevention Committee, Teacher Assistance Team (TAT), Fairview Educational Leadership Team (FELT), Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) Team, and district Crisis and Trauma Support Team.

In 2012, our twin boys were born prematurely. I accepted a 0.6 FTE Early Childhood Special Education Teacher position in McGregor ISD #4 which allowed me scheduling flexibility to accommodate our children's extra appointments and therapies. While teaching in the McGregor School District over the last 7 years, I have written the grant application for the elementary Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) framework, co-coached the elementary PBIS Team, co-coached the Teacher Assistance Team (TAT) as a behavior specialist, been a member of the Child Study Team (CST), initiated Restorative Practice (RP) training for our leadership team, represented our district in our RP implementation cohort, become one of the organizers for the Circle of Restorative Educators (C.O.R.E) which is a support network for Restorative Practices in the Northland, and co-facilitated the Elementary Education Leadership Team for the Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) Plan. These experiences have further sparked my passion to improve student outcomes out on a systems level.

Our twins began kindergarten in the fall of 2019, which provided the flexibility I needed to return to college and pursue my Education Specialist (Ed.S.) degree with a focus on licensure as a K-12 Principal and as a Special Education Director. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from many different peers and mentors throughout my career, and I am excited to continue my life-long journey of learning in an Educational Leadership role.

“Being a champion for all students means just that: all students. Not just ones who are like-able and want help but also the ones who might resist your efforts. Even then, your core values drive you to stay true to this belief. This unwavering hope and faith can be the model to inspire others to do the same for all students.”

― Jimmy Casas, Culturize: Every Student. Every Day. Whatever It Takes.