Welcome Sarah McCollum – Covenant’s New Biology Teacher

We are happy to introduce you to our new biology teacher, Sarah McCollum. Sarah has a bachelor’s in Biology from Stephens College and a Master’s in Science Education from the University of Iowa. Earlier in her life, she taught high school science for a number of years and is now excited to return to the classroom at Covenant. Sarah is married to Kevin and they have two children, including Rachel who joined us as a 9th grader this past fall.

When did you decide to become a teacher?

I fell in love with science in middle school, and after taking biology as a freshman in high school I knew I had found my niche!  My original plan was to work in biological research.  However, during my junior and senior years of college, I realized that I was not satisfied hanging out with test tubes and micropipettes all day long! After praying, I felt that God was leading me towards teaching – that would allow me to combine my love of people with my love of science. There was only one problem with my plan – I was a senior due to graduate with a degree in biology, but no teaching training!  I decided to continue in school and earn my Master’s Degree and my teaching certificate at the same time. After teaching for 6 years, my son was born and I left the teaching job to be at home with my son, and a few years later, my daughter.

 
Why did you decide you wanted to start teaching again?

Once both children were in grade school, I returned to teaching as a substitute, which I’ve done for the last 6 years. During the past year, I began to feel restless with the substitute teaching – I missed being able to design lessons and build long-term connections with students. In the fall, I tutored a student in biology and realized that I was just as passionate about biology as I was in the beginning!  I was thrilled when Covenant started discussing with me the possibility of teaching biology as a part-time job.

What are some of the things you enjoy most about teaching? 

I love teaching biology because it is the study of the living things that God created. Biology is intricate, beautiful and fun, and helps students understand how the world around them works! I believe the most critical part of teaching biology is to provide a solid and well-developed foundation that can be built upon in any future biological field students choose to follow.

Some of Mrs. McCollum’s students participating in a genetics activity.

Besides my love of science, I love studying and teaching the Bible, reading classical whodunit mysteries, embroidery, camping, spending time with my family and taking long walks with my dog.

What have you enjoyed about our school since your daughter started this fall? 

I have enjoyed getting to know the people at Covenant this year.  The school is very welcoming and has made Rachel and me feel at home and a part of the Covenant community very quickly.

It’s great to have you here, Sarah! We look forward to having you teach biology to our students next year.