Sarah Baird is a National Board Certified Teacher. She has been a teacher for 10 years. Ms. Baird has been educating K-5 students in math and served as a math coach since 2005. She >
attended Northern Arizona University where she earned a Masters degree in Early
Childhood Education after receiving a Bachelors of Science degree in Elementary Education
also at NAU.
“I am a firm believer that the way to a child’s mind is through his/her heart. I know my
students have the potential to go on to do great things, better things than I have done. The
heart of my work, my philosophy, stems from the belief that human interaction and
attitude trump assessment, curriculum, and planning.”
“My lessons include energy, enthusiasm, movement, manipulatives, student-to-student
discourse, and CELEBRATIONS! I love the sound of learning! It always starts slowly with one kiddo saying “ohhhh”, and then like popcorn, the rest of the kids, ‘I get it!’, ‘Yeah, I see
it!’ I am thrilled to see my kindergarteners solving multiplication and division problems
because they ‘get’ the story. Fifth graders are manipulating numbers in their heads and
solving problems without standard algorithms. My students cheer for math and are not
afraid to attack hard problems, help one another, and ask questions.”
“My work with children is driven by my philosophy, my unwavering conviction that
education is their greatest catalyst for change and what will lead them to experience choice
and control is writing their own future. If I am not exhausted by the end of the day and my
pants aren’t dirty from being on the floor teaching kids then I have to ask myself, ‘Did I put
it all in today? Did I make a difference?’”
“Sarah’s enthusiasm captures the attention not only of each student as she gathers them in
with her friendliness and outstanding presence, but also the teachers who are compelled to
watch and learn from her. Sarah is willing to teach for teachers to model, with teachers to
co-teach, and also observe teachers to provide positive feedback and relevant suggestions
for future lessons. Her mind continues to generate new ideas to increase student
achievement and her creativity is a gift to those of us who spend our day with her. Ms.
Baird’s lessons are incredibly engaging, hands-on, and developmentally appropriate. They
are always well thought out, and she brings manipulatives, literature, visual aids and other
materials to support and enhance her lessons. Sarah is so well organized and has a vast
array of resources to help improve her time spent with students and teachers alike. This in
turn benefits us all.”
