In this episode, Cori and Steph sit down with Sara Markelonis, a special education teacher at Crystal Lake South and a proud Cary-Grove alum. Sara shares how innovation in her classroom may look simple, but its impact is powerful. She focuses on responding to students’ needs, adjusting workload to reduce overwhelm, and creating space for every student to experience success.

Sara explains how small instructional shifts, like narrowing assignments to the most essential problems, can help students build confidence and stay engaged. She also highlights a hands-on playground design project in which students apply geometry concepts by designing and building a model playground, connecting math to real-world problem-solving.

Throughout the conversation, Sara emphasizes vulnerability, flexibility, and the importance of celebrating mistakes as part of the learning process. Her goal is simple: help students see that math isn’t just about formulas, it’s about learning how to solve problems, a skill they will carry with them long after high school.