Sarah Safraz on Her School’s Future
Sarah Safraz, a teacher at Sir Bernard Lovell, and Brooklynn Bucky discuss
how she started teaching, student and teacher relationships and
the school's transition to project-based learning.
how she started teaching, student and teacher relationships and
the school's transition to project-based learning.
Both Sarah Safraz and I had our hands full the entire time that I was interning at Sir Bernard Lovell School in Bristol, England. Each morning we would check in to review my schedule and then off we went. Upon meeting Sarah, I immediately felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. She put me as ease and I felt as if I was in good hands and could ask for anything. She supported my ideas for a lesson plan and encouraged me to ask teachers and students questions. Additionally I was to help three students, who were coming back to America with me, create their own questions regarding school issues and how our schools were similar yet very different. One day, I stayed after school because my host sister had Twilight, which is equivalent to an honors course, and Sarah and I had the opportunity to sit down and have a conversation about my journey. We talked about everything from my host family, to my travel, to what I see myself doing in the future. We had great conversation about Sir Bernard Lovell’s transition to being a project-based learning school similar to High Tech High. I felt as though I had gotten to know Sarah as a professional but did not know too much about her personally since we were always in passing. During one break, I finally had the chance to ask her about her life before she entered the teaching world.
Sarah’s Past
As a student interested in possibly becoming a teacher, I asked Sarah about what it took to become a teacher at Sir Bernard Lovell. I learned that she went to college at University of London where she received her Masters degree specializing in 19th Century English and American Literature. Her four years at university was “quite something” and she expressed a deep love of literature and studying. After graduating from college, Sarah was hired to do a variety of administrative jobs at the University of London. There she said she learned everything about how university politics work. Sarah began teaching when she was in her late thirties and felt she was “ready to share her love of English Literature and try to engage students in creative ways.” One of Sarah’s goals for her classroom was to “create an environment that was most stimulating for students to make them think, wonder and feel.” I was glad to hear this because, I feel, it shows that she cares that her students are in a safe space to learn. She also told me that she wanted to challenge her students by asking them really hard questions. She said that “without questions, there is no learning” and although it can feel uncomfortable not knowing the answer she supports them to keep going and trying. That is the true essence of learning.
Project Based Learning at Sir Bernard Lovell
I asked Sarah how she feels about Sir Bernard Lovell’s transition to being a project based learning school. According to Sarah, “project based learning is perfect for our students because it would allow us to immerse our students into the essential questions that we create for them.” One technique that she has learned from High Tech High is how to prepare an exhibition. To date, Sarah has had only one exhibition. She explained that her Year Nine (Eighth Grade) students published stories and read them to a younger class. According to Sarah, "it was a great success." Similarly to High Tech High, she encourages students to practice critique. "Performing various critique averages at least three times a week and informally all the time. I have worked hard to get them to use the language of critique with each other, without being self conscious." Both Sarah and I hope that Sir Bernard Lovell will be an entirely project based learning school in the future.
Teacher and Student Relationships
One question that I was curious about was if students, upon graduation, feel prepared for the real world. Sarah said, "That is our aim. We hope that every student, as a result of what we are trying to do at Sir Bernard Lovell, will be able to thrive and find success and happiness in the world outside Sir Bernard Lovell." Sarah has a lot of responsibilities as a teacher but said, "Students always come first" which is a belief that I share. I then discussed with Sarah the bonds between teachers and students and, thankfully, she said that the relationships are "generally excellent. Students like each other. However, sometimes they are not aware that some of the ways that they behave towards each other can have a negative effect. I think this is a question of teaching and guiding in basic expectations." The trust and bond between them is obvious when teachers stay after school hours to help students with their academics or personal issues. After my first week at Sir Bernard Lovell I noticed that there was no collaboration between teachers. This was unusual for me because at High Tech High there are many projects that overlap curriculum to create a well rounded exhibition. When I questioned her about this, Sarah expressed a desire to work more in tandem with her coworkers on projects. She told me that teachers spend a lot of time talking about what works and what doesn't but rarely communicate about lesson plans or future projects.
My passion for education and children was strengthened after meeting and talking with Sarah. I am very thankful that I had such a supportive coworker who shared a desire to touch future generations through creative ways of learning and teaching. I am proud of the work I accomplished and could not have done it without the help of my mentor.
Sarah’s Past
As a student interested in possibly becoming a teacher, I asked Sarah about what it took to become a teacher at Sir Bernard Lovell. I learned that she went to college at University of London where she received her Masters degree specializing in 19th Century English and American Literature. Her four years at university was “quite something” and she expressed a deep love of literature and studying. After graduating from college, Sarah was hired to do a variety of administrative jobs at the University of London. There she said she learned everything about how university politics work. Sarah began teaching when she was in her late thirties and felt she was “ready to share her love of English Literature and try to engage students in creative ways.” One of Sarah’s goals for her classroom was to “create an environment that was most stimulating for students to make them think, wonder and feel.” I was glad to hear this because, I feel, it shows that she cares that her students are in a safe space to learn. She also told me that she wanted to challenge her students by asking them really hard questions. She said that “without questions, there is no learning” and although it can feel uncomfortable not knowing the answer she supports them to keep going and trying. That is the true essence of learning.
Project Based Learning at Sir Bernard Lovell
I asked Sarah how she feels about Sir Bernard Lovell’s transition to being a project based learning school. According to Sarah, “project based learning is perfect for our students because it would allow us to immerse our students into the essential questions that we create for them.” One technique that she has learned from High Tech High is how to prepare an exhibition. To date, Sarah has had only one exhibition. She explained that her Year Nine (Eighth Grade) students published stories and read them to a younger class. According to Sarah, "it was a great success." Similarly to High Tech High, she encourages students to practice critique. "Performing various critique averages at least three times a week and informally all the time. I have worked hard to get them to use the language of critique with each other, without being self conscious." Both Sarah and I hope that Sir Bernard Lovell will be an entirely project based learning school in the future.
Teacher and Student Relationships
One question that I was curious about was if students, upon graduation, feel prepared for the real world. Sarah said, "That is our aim. We hope that every student, as a result of what we are trying to do at Sir Bernard Lovell, will be able to thrive and find success and happiness in the world outside Sir Bernard Lovell." Sarah has a lot of responsibilities as a teacher but said, "Students always come first" which is a belief that I share. I then discussed with Sarah the bonds between teachers and students and, thankfully, she said that the relationships are "generally excellent. Students like each other. However, sometimes they are not aware that some of the ways that they behave towards each other can have a negative effect. I think this is a question of teaching and guiding in basic expectations." The trust and bond between them is obvious when teachers stay after school hours to help students with their academics or personal issues. After my first week at Sir Bernard Lovell I noticed that there was no collaboration between teachers. This was unusual for me because at High Tech High there are many projects that overlap curriculum to create a well rounded exhibition. When I questioned her about this, Sarah expressed a desire to work more in tandem with her coworkers on projects. She told me that teachers spend a lot of time talking about what works and what doesn't but rarely communicate about lesson plans or future projects.
My passion for education and children was strengthened after meeting and talking with Sarah. I am very thankful that I had such a supportive coworker who shared a desire to touch future generations through creative ways of learning and teaching. I am proud of the work I accomplished and could not have done it without the help of my mentor.