Sara Waters has just started her teaching career as a new member of staff here at North, teaching biology. Teaching has always been an interest of hers. Her passion for biology came later.
“I always kind of knew that I wanted to be a teacher, and focusing on biology was like a secondhand thing for me which was interesting. I was like, ‘Oh, I remember high school biology being really cool,’ and so I just kind of went with it,” said Waters.
Waters wants to get students to really enjoy her class. She does this by expressing her passion for biology and also getting to know her students well.
“I have a huge love for biology and I think that contributes. If I really love what we’re talking about, hopefully you guys will find excitement and love for it too. Something I’ve found through my own experience and then also through my other teaching experiences is making an effort outside of class [helps]. So if I know about my [students] having a sports event or maybe doing a play, I will immerse myself in [these aspects of their life], so hopefully they know like, ‘Hey, I am here to support you,’” said Waters.
Waters has many hobbies she does outside of teaching, including playing the piano, art, lacrosse and hiking.
“I play the piano, which is just like a little fun pastime. I draw and paint which I love to do every once in a while, and then I also coach lacrosse. … I love being outside. Anything outside and I’m walking around or looking around at the environment and nature is awesome,” said Waters.
When Waters goes out hiking, she loves to see insects, signs of wildlife, flowers and even weeds.
“[I love to see] any sort of insect like butterflies. I tend to look at insects, [but] if they get too close to me then I’m like, ‘Get away.’ This sounds really weird, but I’ll try to see if there’s remnants of coyotes or bunnies like sometimes there’s mud tracks which is kind of fun to see. Then any sort of flowers or even weeds because sometimes weeds look pretty. Anything that looks appealing to the eye,” said Waters.
If Waters were to describe herself with three words she would pick goodness, caring and lively. Considering this with her interests, it becomes clear that she has a fun and thoughtful approach to exploring her world and the relationships she starts in it.
“I would say goodness. I always try to be very positive and have a good positive outlook on life. I would say very caring. I try to make sure I am supporting others that I love or that I care about especially at school with teachers or with [my students]. The last maybe we could say lively. I’m not perfect, but I try to be energetic and lively in class,” said Waters.
