Hello friends!
My name is Sarah Nixon, but lots of people just call me Snix.
After growing up homeschooled in the great state of North Carolina, I travelled down to South Carolina, where I attended undergrad at Columbia International University. After graduating with my B.A. I stayed on and got my Master of Arts in Bible Teaching, sparking a life-long passion for Christian education.
I began my teaching career in Columbus, GA with middle schoolers. After spending 2 years there, I got a job teaching high schoolers in Macon, GA at First Presbyterian Day School. High school is my sweet spot, and I loved seeing my students in Georgia grow and transform in a myriad of ways. While at FPD, I coached gymnastics, became the Student Activities Director, and led professional development for my colleagues.
Ultimately the land of the long leaf pine called my name again and in 2018 I was thrilled to accept a job in Charlotte, NC teaching high school history.
I spend my summers in the mountains of Western North Carolina working at a residential summer camp. Though I’ve worked almost every job at camp, I currently serve as the program manager. My experiences there of managing a team, organizing schedules, and designing activities and other programming has helped me be a more effective educator in every way.
As a teacher, I want to create a classroom culture where every student feels seen, known, and valued as a contributing member of our community. I want every student to learn the content in a way that validates them as a learner, helping them feel a sense of accomplishment. I love learning, and I want my students to love learning as well. As a history teacher, I want my students to value other cultures and experience the joy of first discovery as they travel historically and geographically. As a colleague, I want to be an encouraging presence, helping my co-workers grow and learn as they help me grow and learn.
Outside of the classroom, I love anything creative (sewing, painting, embroidering, crocheting, pottery, drawing, writing, baking, cooking, etc!) and spend much of my free time reading. I love the mountains, rich conversations with friends, mentoring younger women, and completing puzzles. I coach recreational gymnastics and am highly involved in my church community.
Ultimately the truest thing about me is I am loved by Jesus. All my life – all my story – all my work – flows from that truth. I am able to love only because He loved me. I am able to work hard and write and teach and create because I know that my security doesn’t come from my doing. It comes from His life and work, fully finished on the cross. In Him I live and move and have my being. Everything I have is a gift of grace, and I am eternally thankful for God’s kindness to me, even when I don’t deserve it. Anything I can have and do is just an offering back to Him.