Sarah Berblinger
Intensive Assistance Instructor, Reading and Mathematics Intervention
Prairie Hills Middle School
Buhler, Kansas
Email: [email protected]
Prairie Hills Middle School
Buhler, Kansas
Email: [email protected]
Sarah Berblinger, Region 1's secondary finalist, is an Intensive Assistance instructor in reading and mathematics intervention at Prairie Hills Middle School in the Buhler school district.
At age 23, realizing that her journalism degree was not going to point her toward a truly fulfilling vocation, Sarah reached one of those life-altering crossroads. After some soul-searching, she decided to become a teacher and immediately enrolled at Fort Hays State University.
Reflecting on her career, Sarah wrote that her current job as an Intensive Assistance teacher has helped her to make the most impact with young people. She works every day with students who come to school with the baggage of life and who trust her to offer a safe environment for sharing their triumphs, hurts, fears, and flashes of brilliance. The very nature of the job stretched her from being an effective and caring content deliverer to a growing, student-learning centered teacher.
The parents of one of Sarah’s students credit her with playing an integral part in their son’s success as both a student and a person. When asked to write a letter of recommendation, the father asked his son what his thoughts were about Mrs. Berblinger. The middle-school child simply stated, “She is family, Dad.”
Sarah says, “I am convinced that I am doing exactly what I was made to do. I was once at a crossroads, and I made the right choice.”
At age 23, realizing that her journalism degree was not going to point her toward a truly fulfilling vocation, Sarah reached one of those life-altering crossroads. After some soul-searching, she decided to become a teacher and immediately enrolled at Fort Hays State University.
Reflecting on her career, Sarah wrote that her current job as an Intensive Assistance teacher has helped her to make the most impact with young people. She works every day with students who come to school with the baggage of life and who trust her to offer a safe environment for sharing their triumphs, hurts, fears, and flashes of brilliance. The very nature of the job stretched her from being an effective and caring content deliverer to a growing, student-learning centered teacher.
The parents of one of Sarah’s students credit her with playing an integral part in their son’s success as both a student and a person. When asked to write a letter of recommendation, the father asked his son what his thoughts were about Mrs. Berblinger. The middle-school child simply stated, “She is family, Dad.”
Sarah says, “I am convinced that I am doing exactly what I was made to do. I was once at a crossroads, and I made the right choice.”