Late nights, long hours, and lots of travel. This was a regular routine for Sarah Born as an employment litigation attorney, but something was missing. Time with her children. So, she decided to change careers and is now a teacher.
“After having children, it became nearly impossible to have a healthy work-life balance,” said Sarah, who teaches fourth-grade English/Language Arts at Stokesdale Elementary School in Guilford County. “I often left before they woke up and came home after they were in bed. I was fortunate to have a husband who put his career on hold to stay home with them but I was missing all of their milestones and moments that I would never get back. I knew the nature of my job was not going to change so in 2015 I made the decision to put my career on hold to stay home with my son, Lucas, who was 2 years old at the time and my daughter, Madeline, who was 4 years old.”
Sarah said she begin teaching online and discovered she wanted to start a career in education. When she and her family relocated from Rochester, New York to Stokesdale, she was able to make the transition to teaching at their elementary school.
Becoming a teacher has been a true calling for Sarah, who says one of her favorite parts of the day is morning arrival and being able to greet her students with a smile and hug.
“Teaching is a career that takes so much intelligence, strategy, and all things I used as a lawyer. You need to listen to your heart and do what feels right. I hope by doing that I’m not only teaching these kids they can follow their dreams, but they can change their minds.”
She said she incorporates law into some of her lesson plans and it is something her students enjoy.
Without a doubt, Sarah says she sees herself retiring from the profession. “I absolutely see myself staying in education until retirement. There are few careers I can think of that are more important than being an educator.” She is currently in graduate school at UNC-Greensboro in the NC TEACH licensure program. Her plan is to complete her Master of Arts in Teaching and enroll in the PMC-School Administration Program next summer.
