Sarah Choate, Assistant at the Montessori Academy of Valparaiso, loves that moment when the lightbulb goes off and one of her students finally grasps a concept or a subject. And for the past seven years, she has been using that desire to see all of her kids succeed in the classroom.
Born and raised right here in Valparaiso, Choate attended Valparaiso High School. After living in this Northwest Indiana city for so long, a lot of things have made her love the city more and more. But it’s the diversity within Valparaiso and the town it is becoming that she loves the most.
“I love the diversity in Valpo,” she explained. “It’s growing and becoming more of a diverse place, and it’s something that I like to see.”
Growing up, Choate came from a creative and musical family and has always held onto that side of her.
“My brothers and my dad, my uncles, will play any instrument and play it by ear,” Choate explained. “I like to play piano. I’m not that great at it, but any creative outlet I love.”
After high school, she went on to take a few courses at Ivy Tech, but ultimately decided it wasn’t for her. Then, in 2011, an opportunity arose that she had never previously thought of, one that lead her to a job and field she loves.
“Working with kids wasn’t something that I was particularly thinking about at the time,” she explained. “Ever since I was 13, I had babysat and nannied, so I’ve always been around kids, but it wasn’t a career I was thinking about.”
But, when her best friend who worked at Montessori Academy asked Choate if she knew anyone who would be interested in a job at the school, she quickly jumped on the opportunity and began the process.
“I was about to get married and start a family, and I thought this was perfect,” she explained. “I would have school hours and it would give me the chance to spend time with my family.”
When she began working as an assistant seven years ago, she received her certification. When she had her first child, a son named Max in 2014, she went on maternity leave, but when she came back, she began working in a director position for two years. After having her second child, a son named Sam last summer, she went on maternity leave again, eventually coming back as an assistant for Montessori.
And after seven years at Montessori Academy, Choate has found not just a job with flexible hours, but also a job working with incredible kids that allows her to encourage and shape them every day.
“My day to day duties are prepping the classroom for the day, doing quiet time with the kids, reading books, and preparing the kids for what we’re going to do that day,” she said. “We usually do a monthly lesson, so, for example, last month we did a lesson on recycling. We spend time on the playground, but after that, we have work time.”
During this work time, the kids learn a number of different topics and subjects. Whether it’s addition, fractions, geography, cities, states, and more, little kids are engaging with what they are learning. As Montessori says, the “multidimensional development” of the children is the main focus. And as the kids grow and learn, so does Choate’s love for the field.
“I love the spark in a child, or a light that comes on,” she explained. “When a kid really grasps a concept and they’re eyes light up, that is definitely my favorite part of this job.”
When Choate is not molding young minds at Montessori Academy, she is spending quality time with her husband of five years and her two children. Together, they love movie nights, going to the Indiana Dunes, and even go four-wheeling all the way out in West Virginia. In her spare time, Choate continues to use her creative side and loves to write poetry, paint, and read anything from fiction to biographies to true crime books.
Sarah Choate’s work as an assistant at Montessori Academy allows her to do amazing work with and for kids in the Valparaiso community. Her desire to see them succeed, and even her love for her more creative, fun-loving side, have proven her to be the perfect person to be helping our children grow.