When Sara George joined the district as an instructional specialist in the middle of a pandemic, she didn’t know quite what she was signing up for. But she loves it.

“Who in a school can tell me what they are doing this year is the job they signed up for?” George asked with a laugh.

The social studies instructional specialist joined San Antonio ISD in July, and hit the ground running in the messy, but creative space of supporting teachers on seven different secondary campuses during the COVID-19 pandemic. She started out by meeting with leadership at her campuses to find out their goals and needs, and then set to work coaching, mentoring, and facilitating. She is supporting campus goals at a point in history when educators have never had to be more creative with their time.

“It’s a lot of being flexible and willing to pivot and find time when we have it, or make it,” she said. 

None of her days or weeks are ever the same. At a time when the industry of public education nationwide is facing shortages in teachers and substitute teachers, many of her days are spent substituting for classes when there are not enough substitutes to cover absences or vacancies. Sometimes these assignments are in her content area, but many times, they are not. George sees it all as opportunities. 

“I’m able to maximize my impact,” George said. “I’m seeing what other campuses are doing and being able to bring what I see from other campuses to the teachers that I support. We’re collaborating district wide.”

When she is assigned a subbing position, she’ll use the conference period to Zoom with a teacher or join a Professional Learning Network session, or if she’s on one of her campuses, she will walk over to a social studies classroom to provide some co-teaching support in person. As a former academic dean, she says those are the moments that are the most rewarding.

“It’s a really enjoyable role,” George said. “I still very much love kids and being a teacher and knowing that I have an impact. When I’m able to support a teacher in presenting a lesson, especially if it is one that we were able to work on together, that just really fills my bucket.”

She loves co-teaching, and modeling lessons, even if it is on the fly, and being able to de-brief the lesson with the teacher afterward. Other highlights for her have been helping to create staff development opportunities that support campus goals, including sessions about formative assessment for Professional Learning Networks and October’s EPIC Saturday. She also supports her teachers by providing feedback on their lesson plans and answering questions at night — when she knows teachers are working. 

“I don’t have texting norms,” she said. “You can text me whenever. I’ve not shifted out of 15 years of nights and weekends being time that I can be creative. My teachers have been very transparent about their needs and not shy about reaching out, which I think really speaks to the fact that when you really care about what you’re doing, you’re not afraid to ask for help.”

Her flexibility and collaborative spirit have been noticed by those who work with her. 

“Sara's positive attitude, adaptability, and flexibility have been a great addition to the department and have helped her colleagues and the teachers that she serves to meet the challenges of this school year,” Director of Social Studies Patrick Pyle said. “Sara brings a collaborative spirit to her work that supports others in doing their best work.”

She’s deliberate in that collaboration, acknowledging the only way through the challenges of this year is coming together as a team.

“We’re all pretty good at what we do,” George said. “But we become great when we’re able to work with others and build off each other’s strengths.”