Sara Brinkman to Join Growing Early Childhood Team at SFLS
Sioux Falls Lutheran School is pleased to share that Mrs. Sara Brinkman will join our growing early childhood team as a 4-year-old teacher during the 2020-21 school year.
Mrs. Brinkman holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Family and Consumer Sciences from South Dakota State University. Her degree includes a major in early childhood education, certifications in birth through age five, and endorsements in kindergarten and special education. She has a diverse background in education, including experience as an education coordinator, a lead kindergarten prep teacher, and a toddler teacher at Bright Horizons Early Learning Center in Sioux Falls (formerly known as the Citi Family Center). She also spent three and a half years traveling the country as the education coordinator for Bright Horizons, PGA Tour, which involved setting up classrooms across the country on a weekly basis and providing age-appropriate educational curriculum/instruction for players’ children ranging in age from 6 months to 12 years.
Check out the Q&A below to learn more about Mrs. Brinkman and her passion for early childhood education.
How did you decide to pursue a career in early childhood education?
I have wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember. My grandmother was a teacher, my mother is a teacher, and so it's all I have ever wanted to do. In college, I decided to pursue early childhood education because I recognized how important those first five years of a child's life are, and I wanted to do my part to ensure that children are receiving high quality care and education from day one, which will help them be prepared and ready to excel as they enter into school.
What excites you most about returning to the classroom this fall?
I have missed teaching these past five months, and I know the kids have missed being in school too! I am excited to get the year started and fill our days with friends, fun, and lots of learning!
Tell me a bit about your teaching style.
My teaching style inspires children to be curious and creative thinkers who are intellectually, physically, emotionally, and socially ready for the big years ahead. I provide both teacher-directed and child-led opportunities that foster problem-solving and self-help skills, to help result in well-rounded confident children.
How do you envision integrating faith into your classroom daily?
This will be the first year I will have the opportunity to integrate faith into my classroom, and I am so excited! I envision my classroom to be a faith-centered environment, where I can reinforce a positive view and perception of God and support the natural development of characteristics that will help children have Christlike compassion, grace, and unconditional love.
About Sioux Falls Lutheran School
At Sioux Falls Lutheran School, our mission is to develop capable, Christian servant-leaders in a complex world who are World Ready and Faith Secure. We are passionate about giving our students the tools they need to be successful academically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. We strive to accomplish this goal by maintaining high academic standards, employing excellent teachers, and upholding a Christian worldview drawn from Scripture. Ultimately, we are committed to partnering with parents and the church to raise lifelong learners who use their gifts and the fruits of the Spirit, in faith, to touch a troubled world with God’s grace.