Caring for each individual
Caring for each individual
During her time as an elementary education student with minors in literacy and special education at UNI, Sarah Marston discovered a passion for learning about other cultures and building community — whether through playing cello in the orchestra or helping establish a Navigators campus ministry English club that welcomed international students.
That early interest in connection and inclusion eventually led her to an opportunity abroad with Common Grounds International Academy in India, a small private school working to build a more inclusive learning environment to meet community needs. Marston, a 2015 graduate, knew it was the right move.
There, she led the growing special education department, with a focus on coaching teachers.
“They were so eager to learn, ready to try new ideas and soon started to come to me to get input on ideas and to share celebrations,” Marston says. “It was exciting to be a part of starting something new in the region. It came with challenges, but we also had a lot of freedom to be creative and explore.”
One area she helped develop at the school was play-based learning for younger students.
“I quickly realized that our students who started with us in play class were naturals at including peers with disabilities,” she says. “Sometimes, we as adults would worry and try
to plan out all the details, but kids would jump right in to include their friends in meaningful ways. It was also important to take time to celebrate and share stories of success to build up our inclusive culture and encourage all involved that this was worth it.”
In building an inclusive environment, each person deserves a sense of belonging and has something to offer the community.
Celebrating inclusive environments
Today, as a level two special education teacher in her hometown of Clinton, Iowa, Marston continues to focus on building and celebrating inclusive learning environments through collaboration.
It was at UNI that Marston solidified her career path, particularly through an Honors Program seminar on disabilities and society that sparked her interest in special education.
“This course challenged my thinking in the best possible way,” Marston says. “It helped me to re-imagine what is possible, to consider what limitations we as a society put on people and to build a focus on caring for each individual.”
One faculty member who made a lasting impact was Faculty Emerita Kim Miller, who Marston recalled modeling important values of creativity, high expectations for all and inclusion for all learners.
Marston also completed an honors thesis with Sarah Vander Zanden as her adviser on multimodal storytelling with English language learner students.
“This was a meaningful experience to explore how we can value and make connections to students' experiences, and to make space for all voices in our classrooms,” she says.
For Marston, who is pursuing a master's degree in special education, her teaching career is overall grounded in her faith and a commitment to serving students well.
“In building an inclusive environment, each person deserves a sense of belonging and has something to offer the community,” she says.
