What led you to become a teacher? How many years have you been teaching?
Interestingly enough, both Sarah and Linda were influenced by adults in their lives who were teachers. Sarah has multiple teachers in her family, something of which she is obviously very proud. She loves being around kids, and feels that in education, her creativity is truly appreciated. Linda’s aunt was a teacher, and the close relationship they had influenced her decision to become a teacher. Sarah has been teaching for 4 years, and Linda for 30, they are the perfect combination of experience, creativity, and optimism.
What structures are most helpful to you as a teacher?
Both Sarah and Linda agree that using how-to sheets have been a great help in differentiating in their classroom. There are many students in their classroom, both classified and regular ed, who successfully learn new skills independently using how-to sheets. They also feel that instituting a regular choice time in their classroom has increased motivation and independent thinking. Their students really look forward to it. They feel this has also helped to show their students that they trust them, and that with practice, they were all able to learn to use the time wisely. They do have students who have tend to have difficulty with unstructured time, but choice time provides an opportunity for them to decide what they want to do, and they can schedule the order they want in 
which to complete the activities.
What do you like best about teaching in a differentiated classroom?
Sarah and Linda describe themselves as good friends and feel that the combination of their personalities has a huge impact on their successful classroom. They were both given the choice to teach under the shared instructional model and the administration in their school is incredibly supportive. They integrate multiple learning style preference activities into all of their lessons, and their high expectations are unwavering. Both Sarah and Linda feel that differentiation is a necessity in the classroom.
Which of the Ten Principles is most important to you in your classroom and why?
Sarah and Linda focus on increasing the Felt Need each student in their classroom has for learning the material. They always start out explaining what they want their students to be able to do. They also work hard at infusing technology into their curriculum. They are not content with the "same old, same old." They are always looking for new ways to excite their students and find that "aha" moment. They have been known to dress up in costumes to bring an authentic experience to their lessons.
What’s your favorite differentiated unit?
Sarah and Linda enjoyed their problem-based task on Original Fables. Students practiced writing an original fable with a partner. They used spinners to identify a character, setting, and moral for a fable, and then wrote their own. The students used KidPix to illustrate their story, and used a rubric to assess their progress. Linda explained that their rubrics include skills that were learned previously. Their expectations are high, and their students know it. They believe this helped earn the respect of their students.
How do you think authentic learning helps students experience & learn through real life situations?
According to Linda, "Authentic learning helps with application and understanding. We have a huge desire to connect with the students and to understand what will excite and engage them."
"I love my job, I can’t imagine doing anything else!" This was the first of many positive and enthusiastic comments made by Sarah Tokle while discussing teaching in a Learner Active classroom. Sarah and Linda provide a fantastic example of a successful shared instructional model in an elementary school setting. This excitement is shared by Linda Bischer, and their fantastic report and cohesive relationship is obvious whenever they are together.