Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Wolters.
Hi Sarah, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m not sure where my story starts, but I suppose it started when I was five and decided I had to be a teacher. I put so much worth and value into teachers (so much so that I refused to admit my mom taught me to read and swore that my Kindergarten teacher taught me all in a day on the first day of school). I don’t think I ever imagined a job could be more special or more important than a teacher.
As I got older, I began to explore the community I would want to teach by tutoring in our special education classes in high school and volunteering with Cabins4Kids, a nonprofit summer camp focused on providing the camp experience to youth from the urban core at no cost. I found my passion at Cabins4Kids but didn’t realize it at the time. At the time, I only knew that I had found my audience.
I declared my major from the get-go at Butler University and graduated with my Elementary Education license and Special Education license. I knew that I wanted to teach in more urban schools, but I was willing to take general or special education jobs. I took my first teaching job in North St. Louis and was thrilled to have found an independent school with the audience I was seeking that also had the benefit of donors to provide resources I never dreamt I would have working in an urban school.
I always wanted to teach in public schools, so I searched and took another position in a public charter school in my 4th year of teaching. After realizing quickly, I did not share the same values as that school. I made another move to a different public charter school for my 5th year. In my 6th year, I realized my passion was with Cabins4Kids as an organization and in what my role was when I was with Cabins4kids.
I finally admitted to myself that my passion in education was beyond the classroom walls – I wanted to teach leadership and have conversations about current events and the reality of the world our youth are growing up in; I wanted to talk about diversity and inclusion and civil discourse. I wanted to instill a love for service and teach them public speaking. I knew I needed to leave the classroom to find my next adventure.
I grew up in the 4-H program, and in fact, that’s how I found Cabins4Kids, but I had never considered a career in 4-H. I was in a suburban 4-H club and knew little about the agriculture side of 4-H. I wasn’t sure how I could be in a position to lead without that knowledge, but I knew that 4-H focused on teaching everything I was passionate about and would allow me to still impact youth directly. I jumped at the opportunity when a position opened up in Clay County covering North Kansas City.
It turns out as long as you know when and how to ask for help, you can do just fine without knowing it all. I’ve always loved the definition of leadership that says, “leadership knows how to match your strengths with opportunities and how to help others do the same.” I believe this job lets me live that definition daily in my work with so many parents, families, volunteers, and community partners.
In my five years as the Youth Development Specialist in Clay County, we have created a new 4-H model to reach youth in after school programs more than tripling our numbers, we have brought our fair back to the community as a street fair event, and we’ve grown our team to as many as five professionals serving Clay County. One of my favorite pieces of my story was finally getting certified in a DEI program when I became a Qualified Administrator for the Intercultural Development Inventory.
I can use this certification to facilitate DEI conversations with 4-H members and my colleagues. I was even contracted to work with a group of college students within another organization. Covid was hard on our organization and my adjusting to a virtual world and losing that face-to-face time with my youth that is frequently my driving motivation. As a solution, I started tutoring again to have that one on one relationship I was seeking while helping families navigate virtual school.
I signed on to be a Seint Artist, teaching others about makeup and selling it online for a creative outlet. I’m not sure where my path leads next and I know the life I am living isn’t quite what 5-year-old Sarah envisioned, but I know that I was right about my calling to teach. It just turns out I’m meant to teach outside of the box.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Absolutely not! I never imagined leaving the classroom and was completely lost when I realized that was my next move. We don’t teach kids they can grow up to be Youth Development Specialists or Diversity and Inclusion Facilitators or even Tutors as a job. If you want to work with kids, you’re told to be a teacher.
Once you leave the classroom, there’s a huge world of opportunities and options that no one told you existed. It’s overwhelming and scary trying to find your place. I made the decision to leave my classroom job before the end of the school year so that I could be in the best position for my new job and planned to finish out conferences so my students would have closure as well.
It wasn’t received well and it ended up being an incredibly hard transition for me personally and professionally. I struggled with my identity as a teacher for a long time unsure of if I was still worthy of the title having left the classroom. I still struggle to decide if I’m on the right path or if I’m on too many paths.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My title is Field Specialist in Youth Development 4-H for Clay County which is a mouthful and won’t mean much to anyone outside of my profession. I oversee the 4-H program in my county by finding and training volunteers, teaching youth, supervising associate professionals, and overseeing and planning county-wide events such as camps and fairs.
I work to create new programs and new models, help to write new curricula, and participate in research to ensure our programs align with best practices in Positive Youth Development. My formal background is in education with my Bachelor’s Degree in Early and Middle Childhood with a specialization in Special Education and my Master’s Degree in Early Childhood. My job is part administrative, part networking and partnerships, part seeking funding, and part teaching.
Just depends on the day and the hour. Within MO 4-H, I specialize in urban programs and am known for my role with our Diversity and Inclusion efforts as well as the creation of our online Canvas 4-H course. I am most proud of the youth I work with and what they have accomplished during our time together. Whether it was attending a trip out of their comfort zone, winning an award, or just participating in a conversation that pushed them to dig deeper than they had before. I am proud to be a part of their support network when they cross that road.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Becoming a makeup artist with Seint was a shock to almost everyone who knew me! I’ve always been the girl who was one of the guys and not the girly girl who needed to be dressed up, makeup on, and ready to leave the house.
With that job came a social media presence that was surprising to most as well. I have never been shy about public speaking, but I have always done the practical kind – teaching, conference presentations, speeches. Going out on social media and making makeup videos or silly reels was NOT in my wheelhouse.
Between that and my zero sales experience, it wasn’t a side job anyone saw it coming. Of course, I saw it as an opportunity to teach and create a safe space for others like me who felt like outsiders in that world. That and a chance to dive into a world I always wanted to be a part of despite my lack of confidence in that realm.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/learningwithsarah
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahmorefield/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClayCo4H
