Zoe Sinay

I think my family has definitely had a big impact. As someone who didn't just stick through the traditional route of going to school and then going into a public school job, they've supported me in all of the certificates and other trainings that I've done that most public schools don't really account for anything except credits. But in my vision for what education could be, they've really supported and encouraged me to use those skills and other experiences to be a leader in some ways through what I believe in education. I think that family has really helped push me through some of the more challenging times and remind me that education is an evolving field, and just because we don't see it happening now doesn't mean that, especially for these young educators coming into the field, the opportunities and potential is endless. So we just need to continue to, as we tell our kids, have that growth mindset and advocate for what we've seen through our own experiences.

Two educators have been incredibly influential in shaping my career. The first is Kate Abbott, who was my mentor teacher during student teaching. She's an amazing educator with this beautiful balance between creating a fun and engaging learning environment while maintaining structure and keeping the academic curriculum moving forward. She's now a principal in Harrisville, New Hampshire. We have very different teaching styles - I'm more creative, free-flowing, while she runs a tighter ship - but it was tremendously inspiring and helpful to understand people who are different from you. She taught me how to embrace that other side of me that has really helped me focus on the visions I want to come to fruition in education. When I came in, I was a little bit all dreams and no plan, and she really helped me get that structure. The second educator is Ashley Flamino, who has been in the Jaffrey school district for around 18 years and is now moving into administration in a different district. She's someone who has always inspired me to speak my truth in education, and when things don't go as planned the first time, not giving up. I've been trying to get outdoor education and social-emotional learning into this school district, and though it's not through the programs that I have in mind yet, she really helped advocate for me to do these things. We had SEL blocks during our summer school, and she helped me really advocate for that and encouraged me to talk about what I was knowledgeable in. I credit a lot of my ability to gain confidence to how she encouraged me.

I would tell them that education is a constantly moving and growing field, and I would encourage all young educators to stick through that journey, because the children are the ones that really feel our influence and impact, regardless of the more business side of education. They see us. They don't see all of the administrative stuff that goes on above that. So if you can just keep your vision of what you want education to look like, and how that really impacts the future of the children of America, that kind of is what has kept me in this kind of chaotic but forward momentum. Education is progressing, and we just need to continue to, as we tell our kids, have that growth mindset and advocate for what we've seen through our own experiences.

I have been wanting to and working on getting education moving outdoors. I think the pandemic was a beautiful glimpse of what education could really look like in the future. In this day of technology, I think that education is progressing towards balancing out teaching kids how to live in this tech-savvy world, but also still connecting with the community, with each other, and the best way to do that, I believe, is through the natural world, getting them outside and teaching through experiences that can be created in the classroom, but outside those school walls. Being able to bring those lessons outside, and then when they come back into the classroom, practicing typing a report or bringing in that technological piece, but really finding a balance between those two concepts of education. One of my biggest accomplishments has been growing the Destination Imagination program. The district that I'm teaching in last year had lost $3 million, and it was going to impact clubs and sports, but we were able to bring this back this year and push on to next year. That was a real challenge - sustaining programs during difficult financial periods - but also an opportunity to show the value of creative, STEAM-focused learning experiences.

The values most important to me in my work and personal life are maintaining a growth mindset, centering my efforts on student advocacy, and fostering strong community connections. I also prioritize balancing technological competence with meaningful real-world, outdoor experience to stay grounded and well-rounded in my approach.