News at St. Catherine's

Teacher Spotlight: JK teachers Sara Waechter ‘97 and Meg Zehmer

As part of National Teacher Appreciation Week, we are spotlighting teachers in all three divisions. Today we spotlight junior kindergarten teachers Sara Waechter ’97 and Meg Zehmer.
     Teaching our youngest girls during Distance Learning is a true testament to teamwork — not just between the teachers, students and parents, but also amongst the Early Childhood teachers in Junior Kindergarten and Early Learners.
     Prior to Distance Learning, JK teachers Sara Waechter ‘97 and Meg Zehmer worked closely together along with JK assistants Catherine Both and Karyn Iourno. But Distance Learning turned that up a notch as they started working even closer with Early Learners teacher Mandy Jernigan and EL assistant Lizzie Wilson. 
     “The team approach has worked beautifully,” Zehmer said. “It has provided us with an opportunity to capitalize on each teacher's and teaching assistant's individual gifts and talents.”  
     And when things change and pivot, which they have often during the past eight weeks, the teachers turn to each other to discover their next path. In addition to the many webinars they watch and articles they read, the teachers collaborate together to figure out the best approach for reaching young girls during this time.
     “We come together to figure out a plan, and are constantly evaluating and adjusting our game plan,” Waechter said. “It has been a wonderful collaboration, and we feel that it has created a rich and diverse offering to our youngest learners!”  
     The JK girls have exhibited the same flexibility and resiliency modeled by their teachers. And at times, they have even become the educators — teaching their classmates about their chickens, how to care for a new pet, how to ride a bike and how to garden. They share their lessons with each other on video and through their Zoom sessions.  
     “One of the biggest surprises has been how well the vast majority of the girls have adapted to Distance Learning,” Zehmer said. “Children are much more resilient than adults. It has been exciting to observe the girls share their personal interests with their classmates!”
     Routine is key for younger children and Waechter and Zehmer try to help the girls establish routines similar to their on-campus learning. Videos, Facetime calls, zoom sessions and photos allow the girls to stay connected with their teachers and each other while continuing their education.
     “I have been surprised working as a team we have been able to cover the same topics which we would have addressed had school been in session,” Zehmer said. “Most importantly, Distance Learning has provided our students with new opportunities for learning things they most likely would not have experienced at school.”
     The JK and Early Learners students range in age from 3-5 years old. Therefore, they are not fully independent and rely on a lot of support from the parents. This fact is not lost on Waechter and Zehmer.
     While they try to create independent lesson plans for Language Arts, Math, Science and Art, many of the activities for young children are hands-on and require parental supervision.
     “There is a dependence on parents to implement our lessons” Waechter said. “We simply cannot and could not have made this happen without the support of our parents. We know this is hard, and we appreciate their partnership!” 
 
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Located in the heart of Richmond, Virginia, St. Catherine’s School is a private, all-girls pre-K, kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school. We provide a well-rounded educational experience for girls from communities across Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico and all of central Virginia. St.Catherine’s all-girls educational experience is rooted in more than a century of history and tradition. From our revolutionary past to our dynamic present, St. Catherine’s has always focused on preparing students for a boundless future.