Sarah Bullard
A Rooted Teacher
story by ERIN WALLACE photos by SUSAN DELOACH
There is something to be said about a town that keeps its people rooted. Likewise, it is remarkable to meet the rooted people, as the sparkle in their eye for this place is unmatched. If you’ve lived in Beaufort long enough, you know that the people here are special, and the children of Beaufort flaunt their own strain, like the young saplings that one day become our beautiful living oaks. With such noteworthy individuals among us, investing in those little ones takes an even more notable person. Such a person is our very own Sarah Bullard, a Kindergarten teacher at Bridges Preparatory School; born and raised a Beaufortonian.
Sarah isn’t new to a teacher’s life by any means. Her mom, Linda, was a teacher, and when Sarah was a little girl, she and her best friend’s favorite thing to do was play pretend: Sarah as the teacher and her friend as the assistant teacher. The heroine Sarah imagined herself to be during her playtime as a little girl taught for a whole 38 years before retiring. It is no doubt that Linda wholeheartedly dedicated herself to her kids, and throughout those almost 40 years, she taught 3rd grade and below but mostly kindergarten. But wait, there’s more! Teaching is strong in this family as Sarah’s grandmother, Virginia (Ginny) DeLoach, even started a small preschool in her home in Beaufort many moons ago. In fact, it was so successful that her grandfather, Robert DeLoach, had to build Ginny a real school, and it was called Blythewood.
As it turns out, there wasn’t really ever a time when Sarah didn’t know what she should do with her life. However, Sarah is a 3rd generation teacher, and you could say she was ready for this line of work before most people even consider what they want to do when they grow up. I asked Sarah if she sees herself doing this for the rest of her life. With confidence and enthusiasm all rolled into one, she assured me she doesn’t see herself doing anything else. In a world where commitment tends to go to the wayside, she is an inspiration to never give up on your aspirations.
Sarah studied at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, SC, and graduated with a degree in early childhood education in 2012. From there, she became an au pair (nanny) in the Netherlands. After her adventurous time abroad, Sarah returned home and began substitute teaching in Beaufort. However, her life as a substitute was short-lived, as that following summer, Sarah had her interview with Bridges. She accepted the job for the 2013-2014 school year, coincidentally Bridges’ inaugural year. Sarah still teaches at this school, almost ten years in: “I think Bridges is the best school in town!” Sarah stated, “Who could argue with someone who’s been around the block once or twice?” Bridges is a lucky school to have such an incredibly dedicated woman on its staff.
When Sarah is not teaching, you can find her soaking up time with her beautiful family. Her husband is named Rett, and their daughter, Blair, is just a little over one. Blair is the light of this couple’s life and “the best thing that’s ever happened to them.” With Sarah being a full-time mom and full-time teacher, I asked her what her advice would be for new working moms, and her answer was short, sweet, and compelling: “rest and balancing work/home life.” She said an example of this is keeping her work at school as much as possible. No matter what, though, when she’s home, she plans to be completely present with her sweet daughter and focus on her little family with as few distractions as possible. Nonetheless, though Sarah has always cherished her kindergartners, now that she’s a mom, she sees them in a new light, a light that reflects even more adoration than she ever deemed possible.
With about a decade under Sarah’s belt, her absolute favorite part of being a teacher is getting to know her students. For Sarah, it is a gift learning about each and every one of them: their family, likes, dislikes, friends, and so on. This teacher’s philosophy is that if you have an overall good understanding of your students at a personal level, then the year will run smoothly in all respects. Sarah’s class is her family, including her fantastic assistant teacher, Trish Torres, whom she couldn’t stop raving about. This teaching duo has been together since Sarah started teaching this grade four years ago, and they’ve got a great thing going after all this time.
A truly full-circle moment for Sarah and something that is always guaranteed to bring a smile to her face is seeing her old students in the hallway. For this teacher, it’s always so nice being greeted by her former students. Sarah informed me, “Sometimes if I get lucky, I will have some students from my first year of teaching say hi to me. They are sophomores in high school now!” It is not often that you meet a third-generation teacher these days. A treasured example of this uniqueness is Sarah’s class putting on a play called The Three Piggy Opera with the other kindergarten classes. This is the same play Sarah acted in while she was in her mom’s kindergarten class!
If you haven’t met Sarah Bullard yet, there’s a good chance you’ve met one of her former students running around the Lowcountry. Teachers, like Sarah, remind us why our beloved town is so innately distinct. And, the children — past and present — who are planted in her class are indelibly illuminated after learning from this firmly rooted teacher.
