For 10 years, special education teacher Sarah Innes has served students from kindergarten through 4th grade.
From working in the classroom to catching up with former students and parents at Trader Joe’s or Compo Beach, she feels a deep connection to Westport families.
This summer, she will take the experience she’s gained in our district, and stretch it — and herself — far beyond our borders.
Innes will volunteer overseas as a SkillCorps member with the Global Autism Project. She’ll be assigned to a school devoted specifically to children on the autism spectrum.
Sarah Innes
Innes — who began her special ed career in 2010, in the first New York City public school for children with autism — is a board certified behavior analyst. She joined the Westport Public Schools in 2015.
She does not yet know which of 4 countries she’ll be assigned to. But wherever it is, she looks forward to helping.
“Our kids here have so much more than other parts of the world,” Innes says. “There are so many places that need support and funding.”
She’ll pay for all her travel expenses. In addition, she has pledged to raise $9,500 to help with curriculum development, staff training, professional conferences and mentorship programs. She’s already nearly halfway there. (Click here to donate, and for more information.)
“I believe that location should never determine the quality of a child’s education,” Innes says.
“My career has been defined by my work in 2 of the nation’s leading school systems for individuals with disabilities.
“Having seen the life-changing results of these programs, I am passionate about taking the lessons I’ve learned and sharing them with the world. I am dedicated to enriching communities that haven’t yet had the opportunity to provide this level of specialized support.”
Sarah Innes writes , “location should never determine the quality of a child’s education.” I totally agree, but that’s not the case in Connecticut, because each town has a different school system with a different budget, and different facilities. I tend to support county school districts. Palm Beach County School District was the 11th largest in the country and encompassed extremely wealthy towns, and not so wealthy cities and towns. Howard County Schools in Maryland is district wide also. It kind of levels the playing field, so to speak. 49 years ago I taught high school in Montego Bay, Jamaica and my students were dirt poor, and I visited a few of their homes and some didn’t even have glass windows. They had plastic covered windows. I had a student who used to put cardboard in her shoes because the shoes were worn out. I still keep in touch with eight of my former students who are now in their mid 60s. High school back then was five years. I even visited schools in Havana, Cuba 23 years ago. The other thing about teaching in places like Cuba and Jamaica, is kids wore uniforms, which apparently tried to make everyone look and feel equal in appearance. You have no idea what kind of stories I have about teaching!
I actually was in Cuba in March of 2002, so my math was wrong- it was 24 years ago this month. I was kind of adventurous back in the day, and I was actually supposed to visit North Korea a few months after Cuba, but canceled my trip because I felt it would have been too dangerous. It would have been an “educational trip “ too. I was going with a university, but I felt a bit uncomfortable about going there.
Thankful for Sarah Innes-Great article!
My hat off to her. As a sped para I am blown away daily by the teachers that are dedicated like Sarah. I hope we can help her meet those fundraising goals.
Sometimes when you go abroad , not only do you change peoples’ lives, but they have an impact on your life! Also, Sarah, if you’re reading this, I have a relative who works at GFS and obviously knows you.
Sarah is a wonderful, dedicated educator, and we are so fortunate to have her at GFS!