SARAH ROOT

Primary Teacher

After taking a year off to stay home with her new baby (her third, impossibly bright-eyed, boy!), Mrs. Root is back in her role of teaching Kindergarten at SLOCA. Sarah was raised locally and, in the 5th grade, caught the learning bug from her teacher. It was obvious that her teacher loved educating, and her enthusiasm and passion for learning new things was contagious! Because of her teacher’s example, Sarah viewed learning as something wonderful and desirable. Following that example, Sarah pursued a B.A. in Psychology, M.A. in Teaching with an Elementary Ed. Emphasis, and her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential through Chapman University. Her education set her up for various roles: working at Santa Barbara County Mental Health in Children & Adolescent Services/Crisis Intervention; Teaching 3rd Grade P.E., Teaching Reading Intervention to 3rd-5th grade students; Coaching 3rd-6th grade Track; and even Teaching a K-2nd grade cooking enrichment class. Sarah was first enticed to join the community at SLOCA because she loved the idea of getting to teach with rich literature. Of her encounter with SLOCA, she says “It was so exciting to me to see a school that loved and praised literature. I had been collecting classic picture books since high school for my someday students and someday children and it was just super exciting to see it in action at SLOCA!” Sarah started with us in the Fall of 2010, and continues to build a love for Classical Education, for the way it builds a solid foundation in core skills and that each skill builds upon the next in a natural, progressive, and logical flow. “I also love, love, LOVE that we teach across the curriculum and tie everything together with history and literature. I think it creates such a meaningful context for our kids to be able to connect with!” she exclaims. When she’s not at school, Sarah is busy chasing around 3 boys and her husband, running long distances (half marathon being her favorite), hiking local trails, swimming, or going to the Santa Barbara Zoo. In between the outdoor adventures, Sarah can be spied sewing, reading, and trying new recipes (“reading through a cookbook with lots of illustrations is just bliss!”) She is really interested in learning how to quilt and becoming proficient at it enough to create a beautiful, keepsake quilt using the baby clothes all her boys have worn that have memories tied to them.