- Ashley

Teaching Green
by Ashley Earl

         “Teaching children brings me so much joy,” Sarah Peters said. Sarah Peters is a 32-year-old science teacher in Homer, Alaska. “I have been working here as a teacher for eight years in Alaska and it is a lot of fun,“ Sarah said. “I moved to Alaska from Nevada when I was ten years old and my favorite part was always watching the marine life at my beach side home.” Sarah would sit by the beach in her free time taking pictures and writing down the habits of the animals like the marine biologists she saw at local museums. “I realized then that I wanted to have a job like one of the marine biologists I would always here about and see in museums,” Sarah said.
When Sarah was in high school she volunteered in an elementary school classroom for four months. She had such a great time watching and interacting with the children that she realized she had a passion for teaching. Sarah was torn between being a teacher or having a job that involved animals, but she had to make a decision. She decided to be a science teacher so she could combine the two things she was torn between.  She teaches kids about marine life to incorporate her first passion “I had finally made my decision which was to go to college and study to be a science teacher,” she said.
Once a month Sarah takes her students down to the ocean and shows them a new animal that they haven’t learned about yet. She loves the fact that she is able to involve animals in her job. “Now it’s great, I’m able to take my students down to the ocean and teach them directly about the animals. I love it so much,” Sarah said.
Sarah sometimes volunteers to try and help keep the local beaches and waters clean. “Once in a while me and a group of people will go down to the beaches and pick up trash,” Sarah said. “It’s our job to keep the beaches and waters clean so the wildlife can stay happy and healthy.” She wants future generations to have the chance to be as amazed by aquatic life as she was as a young child.
Sarah is a big supporter of recycling because of all it does for the environment. She even stays environmentally friendly at her own house by recycling, conserving water, and buying recyclable products. “Just doing little things like recycling pop cans or cutting up the plastic on a 6 pack of cans can keep the waters clean, save trees, and save animals lives,” Sarah said. “If you don’t recycle you should definitely consider it.”
Sarah believes that if you have a dream you should make it a reality. “When I learned I wanted to work with animals and be a teacher I made it happen, I think anyone that has a dream should try to make it happen because it is the best feeling when you accomplish something. Sarah’s dedication to her students and the environment is inspiring and she shows that your dreams can come true.