I decided to become a teacher because science fascinates me. Teaching biology is an intersection of my passions and my skills.”
Sarah’s Story
As an undergraduate at Stanford University, Sarah Hawthorne spent four years mentoring children at a local Boys & Girls Club. With the aid of her college’s Science in Service program, she used hands-on experiments to introduce the club’s young students to difficult scientific concepts. It was those afternoons that inspired her to become a teacher. Her hope is for all children to enjoy science and know that science careers are open to them. “I want to help students realize that science is not a distant entity; scientists are real people. I want my students to see themselves in science, no matter their race, gender or background.”
After 8 years in the classroom, Sarah has moved to a stay-at-home-parent role while continuing to work in the field of education by coaching new teachers, volunteer tutoring students, and designing and leading professional development experiences through the Knowles Academy. While she misses the daily interaction with students, she values the chance to continue supporting science education by working with teachers.
Sarah graduated from the Louisville Collegiate School in Louisville, Kentucky and earned a BS in Biological Sciences with honors in Ecology and Evolution from Stanford University in Stanford, California. She has participated in various lab and field research programs at Stanford, including a summer at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory studying butterfly genetics. She received her MA in Education with a focus on Secondary Science Education from Stanford. In her spare time, she enjoys knitting, spinning wool, and reading about the evolution and ecology of different sheep breeds and other fiber animals.
Knowles Academy Courses Taught
Designing Instructional Tasks to Increase Student Engagement and Learning in Science