About Sarah

Feb 27, 2012, my birthday; New Orleans

Hi,  I'm Sarah!  I was born and grew up in Wells, Somerset, UK.  Fast forward several decades, and I'm now a professor of ESL/EAP at  the #1 community college in the USA:  Valencia College, in Orlando, Florida.  It's now spring of 2013, and I'm on sabbatical, living in Santander Spain, and this is my sabbatical blog.  Here's an article from The Grove about my sabbatical goals and research

Being a writer:  I've loved writing as long as I can remember.  When I was a child, I imagined writing great novels one day.  I wrote lots of stories, mainly about dolls when I was very young, and then later about horses.  I wrote and illustrated my first multi-chapter story, 'Copper of Greenacre farm', when I was about 11.  It was about a dartmoor pony who went to live on a farm; at first he missed his home and family, but after various adventures he eventually felt comfortable in his new home knowing that he was now 'Copper.  Copper of Greenacre Farm.'  (That was the end of the story and I remember that my Dad thought it was a good last line).

No novel ever materialized (see below for what I've been doing instead!) but I've started writing materials for my ESL/EAP classes at Valencia, and I'm going to be sharing some of those via this blog.  I'll also be writing about international education, life in Spain, and random other stuff I get up to. Check the 'table of contents' tab (above) for a list of what I've written so far.

Quick CV:  

• Master's degree in Teaching EAP/ESP (English for academic/specific purposes).  
• MBTI certification
• CELTA 
• Bachelor's degree in English Literature and Publishing
• Associate's degree in Business Administration
• 14 years experience teaching ESL/EAP in England, Spain, and USA (including 11 at Valencia).
• 14 years experience working in the medical field (hospital admissions, medical office, and transcription).
• Lifeguard, Lake Wentworth, New Hampshire. 
• Waitress, Garmisch Partenkirchen, Bavarian alps.

December 27, 2012; Corin's 18th birthday, London

My family:  Chances are my children will be making an appearance in this blog.  My oldest is Mike, he lives in Phoenix, AZ, with his girlfriend Kristie and an assortment of cats and dogs.  My second is Christine, who lives in London with her husband, Robin, and cat, Shelly.  Here's a link to their highly recommended vegetarian cooking blog,  'ciao veggie.'  My youngest, Corin, is 18.  He's with me in Spain, spending a semester as an exchange student at the University of Cantabria.  See 'about Corin' tab (above) for more info.  Here they all are on the occasion of Corin's 18th birthday, 12/27/12.  (Standing: Left Corin, right Mike.  Sitting:  Left Kristie, middle Christine, right Robin).  

My new blog:  Started in the summer of 2014, my new blog is Saturday's child (Saturday's child works hard for a living, according to the old nursery rhyme!)  This new blog is a place where I will be posting short stories related to various jobs I've had in my life.  

Connect with me on Facebook:  Sarah's facebook page.  Note:  If you put in a friend request on facebook, please send a message so that I know you are someone who has found me through my blog.  Otherwise I won't be able to accept.  Thanks!