It is always a pleasure to share stories about exceptional teachers who have earned accolades for their work in the classroom. One of these is Sarah Ann Painter, an elementary school teacher from Pinellas County, Florida. In a year when she declared her class motto is “Find joy,” she’s been named Florida’s 2022 State Teacher of the Year.
Sarah teaches fifth-grade at Eisenhower Elementary School in Pinellas County, Florida. In a pandemic year filled with challenges for both teachers and students, Sarah declared the motto for herself and her students would be “Find joy.” “That two-word phrase changed a mindset across our school,” she asserted.
In addition to her classroom responsibilities, she organized common planning and collaboration for fifth-grade teachers throughout the Pinellas School District. She is also the Chairperson for the School Advisory Council, the representative for English/Language Arts, and the school liaison for the extended school day program. And as if all that were not enough, she established an open-door policy for colleagues to observe her instructional practices. Her career as an educator has spanned nearly 19 years.
Sarah earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education in 2002 from the University of South Florida, and her Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction in 2012 from the University of Florida. She also earned a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Administration from Florida State University in 2021.
Sarah was selected from among five finalists, and nearly 185,000 public school teachers across the state. As the 2022 Florida Teacher of the Year, Sarah Ann will serve for one year as the Christa McAuliffe Ambassador for Education. In this role, Painter will travel throughout the state to recognize and honor the contributions of Florida’s teachers and create greater public awareness of Florida’s exceptional teachers and the profession. In addition, she will receive $20,000 from the Florida Department of Education and a two-year Florida College scholarship from the Florida Prepaid College Board which she can to present to any student of her choice.
