To teach well, we do not need more techniques and strategies as much as we need a vision of what is essential. It is not the number of good ideas that turns our work into art, but the selection, balance and design of those ideas.

—Lucy Calkins

Sally Grogg is the Van Gogh of our profession…a true artist who teaches as though she were creating a masterpiece daily!

Sally truly has a vision of what is essential—that each child is honored for the gifts he offers the world and is challenged to discover the many ways those gifts may be developed, strengthened, and shared.

The deep thought and care that Sally puts into her teaching is evident to anyone who steps into her classroom. Her room is the essence of balance and design…and reflects those creative powerful ideas that drive her instruction. The students’ work, pervasive throughout, speaks volumes about her teaching philosophy. Sally’s gift is her appreciation of her students’ unique personalities and talents. Each one feels heard and understood on a deep level. There is a sense of safety that Sally creates with her students that empowers them to risk, to learn, and to grow as well as explore their own strengths. Their stories, their art, their projects all convey a deep sense of pride and a great confidence in their capacity to learn.

Selection, balance and design…these elements are artistically blended to create curriculum that appeals to every little learner in her classroom. Whether students are exploring the solar system, the rainforest, the Native American cultures, or artistic expression, they are on a journey—discovering their universe. Sally is their guide—helping them to make sense of it all with care and compassion.

Sally is a teacher’s teacher! As a colleague she is valued as a professional in every sense of the word—organized, thorough, creative, knowledgeable, fair, warm ,consistently calm, and incredibly trustworthy. Her patience and respect are apparent in all interactions—with parents staff, and students. She willingly shares her materials, ideas, and methods with countless other “want to be like Sally” teachers. She is our primary resource for advice about how children learn best. Through her everyday commitment to making her class the very best place for children to learn and grow she inspires us all to be “the best we can be.”

She is truly our “artist in residence” helping all of us to discover those fundamental resources through which the world is viewed, meaning is created, and the mind is developed.

Sally came to Claremont in 1988 as a third grade teacher at Sumner Elementary.

She had previously taught in the Bakersfield City School District, Panama Union School District, and Tulare Unified School District.

During her tenure here at Claremont Unified School District, Sally has been a Mentor Teacher, Team Chairperson I & II, Team Leader, and Instruction/Activity Coordinator.

Sally lives with her husband, Ca, here in Claremont. Their two daughters are continuing in their mother's footsteps, Carrie is a teacher in Northern California, and Kelly is student teaching in San Diego.