Clearwater Character
Sarah Painter, Pinellas County Teacher of the Year
You don’t have to go far to find
10 MyClearwater
Pinellas County’s Teacher of
the Year.
Sarah Painter teaches right here in
Clearwater, and her award comes
at a time when teachers are
being called on to educate
amid a pandemic that
has changed the face of
education nationwide.
Painter, 41, is a fifthgrade
teacher at
Eisenhower Elementary
School, located at 2800
Drew St., where her
dedication to her students
shines. And she knows the
educational terrain, getting her
education in Pinellas County at
Belleair Elementary, Largo Middle,
and Largo High schools. She
then earned a Bachelor’s degree from
the University of South Florida and
a Master’s from the University of
Florida.
Entering into her 18th year of
teaching, Painter received the
incredible honor in January of
being voted Pinellas’ top teacher.
It is an award earned through
passion and hard work.
“My passion over the years has
not wavered. I continue to focus on
becoming a better teacher each year by
attending trainings and learning from mentor
teachers,” she said.
“Once a Painter, always a Painter,” is the mantra that drives
learning in Painter’s classroom.
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“The message is that we are a family and will always be
connected to one another throughout life’s journeys. I tell
my students on the first day of school that my last name
will forever be attached to them and that comes with a
reputation to uphold,” she said.
As a mother of six children, ranging in age from 4 to 15,
Painter said she seeks to be a role model not only for her
students, but for her children as well.
“I became a teacher to leave behind a legacy. This legacy
is not only for my students, but for my own children as
well. When I make a home visit, I often have one of my
own children in the backseat. When I stay late at work to
tutor a group of students, my children are in my classroom,
witnessing the sacrifice,” Painter said. “When I host a club
for girls after school to teach character development, my
children stand by, soaking up the lessons. Being a teacher
means serving others for the greater good. It means shaping
the future and filling it with ‘Painters’.”
Painter also fuels her passion for teaching by running in
her spare time. She recently completed her first
half-marathon and talks about her hobby
as an inspirational motivator for her
students.
“Through this outlet, I have
taught my students to set goals
for themselves, push through
difficulties, and to not allow
excuses to cause doubt,” she said.
That has been especially
important amid the difficult times
the COVID-19 pandemic has
brought. But instead of frustration, the
motto in Painter’s classroom is “Find Joy.”
“Of all the years to be disappointed, let down, frustrated,
this would be it. Instead, I am choosing to find joy. I am
being recognized and validated with an award in what many
would agree is the toughest year of teaching in my life. We
are pioneering teaching through a pandemic. We are writing
the rule book,” Painter said.