ABOUT SARAH

From early on Sarah loved children and knew she wanted to be a teacher.  Language always interested her, so she attended Texas State University where she earned a degree in English and a degree in Spanish with teaching certification.  It was there she also met her husband, John.  Her first teaching job was in Houston teaching Spanish, but she soon wanted to live abroad to truly learn and understand the Spanish culture. Living in Madrid, she became certified to teach English as a foreign language and worked at a language academy for a year.

After becoming engaged, she returned home to Austin, where she was born and raised, to get married and begin a new chapter.  She worked in Leander Independent School District as an ELA teacher and was department chair of English, Pre-AP chair, and on the AVID committee.

Sarah loves working with children and teaching language in creative ways.  She is passionate about helping kids understand how to use their own voices by listening to others’ through literature, music, art, and poetry. After working in public schools for 11 years, Sarah decided to stay home with her babies.  The fulfillment of teaching soon called to Sarah, and she returned to the classroom at ATACP in the fall of 2017.

Sarah is married to John Schoenmakers, who has been a tennis coach at ATA for the past 12 years. They have 3 children: Jacob, Adam, and Catherine. ATA has been like a second home, and you can often find any of the Schoenmakers clan at ATA running around, playing tennis, and enjoying life. Sarah loves to cook, sew, and spend time with her family doing anything outside.