This month we caught up with Sarah Poquette, a 1st grade teacher in Grafton, MA. We’ve been following Sarah on Instagram for a while (@_bigheartlittleminds_) and love everything she posts! Check out our Q&A with her below to hear more about her must-have school supply and thoughts on being a newbie teacher during the Covid-19 pandemic.

What are you looking forward to most this fall? My favorite part of the fall is building relationships with my new students!

What is your favorite school supply and why? I have a love for any type of colored pens! Flair, Paper Mate, InkJoy—I don’t discriminate! They help me organize my planner and help me organize my groups for teacher time.

Why did you go into teaching? This answer is threefold. I always grew up loving the environment of school and being a learner. I also love children and always knew I’d want to work with kids someday. Lastly, I had great teachers growing up and wanted to have the same impact on others.

What is one thing you learned teaching through the pandemic that you will carry with you into future school years? Students will get behind academically, but the priority is and always will be caring for them and tending to their social-emotional needs. Academics can be made up for, but the social-emotional learning at this age is so vital, it cannot be overlooked or skimped on.

What is something positive that you saw come out of COVID-19? I was able to explore different types of technology, many of which I continue to use in my classroom!

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your teaching career?  My biggest challenge is feeling whether or not I’m doing enough. There are nights that I can’t fall asleep because I worry about students. I am always wondering if they will be OK. There never seems to be enough time in the day to support and help each one of them.

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