WE ARE EXCITED TO SHARE OUR MARCH SPOTLIGHT…. SARAH ADAMSON-MAIR Mother, Teacher, Volunteer, Healthcare Worker“
Choose Happy”… This sign sits in Sarah Adamson-Mair’s living room and sums her up in two simple words. Sarah was nominated by multiple people in the community, and after visiting with her it is so easy to see why.It was hard for Sarah to agree to be spotlighted. As she sees it, she is one of many individuals who lift people up, spread goodwill and love to those in our awesome community.Sarah has lived in Ladysmith for the past 7 years. When interviewing and asking her what is most important in her life we found out real quick that she loves her kids.
So that’s where we’ll start…Sarah is a super proud mom to three amazing children. Her oldest son is working on his residency in psychiatry at Walter Reed, afterwards, he plans to complete a fellowship in child psychiatry. He decided to go into child psychiatry in part because of his mom’s example and love for children and the great need there is for child psychiatrists. Her middle son is at Johns Hopkins completing his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering.
Recently he has been studying the effects of COVID on the heart. Her youngest daughter is studying at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. She is working on her Ph.D. in Genetics and has been working on some studies on Malaria. Her children worked REALLY hard to do well in school, although at times it came with some tough love from their mom. Sarah says, “Parenthood is never without struggles!” One time Sarah had to call the resource officer to get her son out of bed to go to school. The resource officer took him to school! The resource officer was very supportive, and not only took him to school but also made a connection with him that lasted the rest of his school years.
Needless to say that only had to happen once! Although Sarah is proud of her children’s scholastic accomplishments her greatest joy is that her children are happy strong individuals. She is so happy that they are doing what they love, and she helped them get there! Sarah started her career in the medical field as an admitting office supervisor at a hospital, later she became a child care provider, and worked in medical offices to help people with their healthcare needs. After several years she decided to switch careers! Sarah had loved to volunteer in her children’s classes at school and it was during this time that Sarah decided to become a teacher. Her kids helped her along the way, even quizzing her for tests!
When the time came to sit for her state boards, the kids took turns testing her knowledge to make sure she would pass, and she did! Sarah is a beloved teacher at Lewis and Clark Elementary School in Ruther Glen, Virginia. She loves encouraging her students to reach their potential. We have heard from many parents in our community how much of an impact she has made on their child.
During her time at Lewis and Clark she has taught several grade levels, led after-school development programs and volunteered in many capacities to help students learn and grow to become the best they can be. Sarah volunteers regularly during her personal time after hours tutoring students who need extra help. One student she tutors would earn bike rides with Sarah as an incentive for reading. Another student she had years ago would play football with her at recess (Sarah throws a mean spiral), and has even promised her a pink jeep if he ever becomes a professional football player.
Sarah has helped many kids develop and prepare themselves for the future. In 2018 Sarah was recognized as Teacher of the Year in Caroline County and Teacher of the Year for the Region! When you ask her what her greatest accomplishment is, being teacher of the year isn’t at the top of the list. Being a mother is #1, followed by a close second is her care and development of her students. The love she has for her students both past and present was radiating from her as we conducted our interview.
When she isn’t teaching, being a mom, or volunteering she works in the medical field as a scheduler for the Radiology department at Mary Washington Hospital in the evenings and on weekends. She has been graciously working throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Things have not always been easy for Sarah. But she wouldn’t be the person she is today without overcoming the challenges she faced. Sarah grew up in foster care. She didn’t always realize it at the time, but there were many special teachers and others who stepped into her life at the right moment…she calls them Angels.
One such person was her 5th-grade teacher Mr. David Hyde. Mr. Hyde would pay Sarah for pictures she would draw for him. It wasn’t until 7th grade that Sarah learned that she was NOT a great artist, Mr. Hyde only bought her art so she could have lunch money. It is because of people like him, that Sarah has a great desire to pay it forward. Mr. Hyde was one of many who lifted Sarah and inspired her to give back. Sarah lives each day truly striving to give back to others! If you look for Sarah you can find her reading with a student, reaching out to the one who just needs a little extra love and attention, riding bikes, or working on her amazing spiral….and who knows maybe one day you will see her driving around in her pink jeep 
Thank you Sarah Adamson-Mair for your wonderful example and all you do to Lift Up Our Community! We also thank the anonymous members of the community who nominated Sarah. If there is someone in the community you would like to nominate to be our next spotlight, please reach out to kiley@mattbrandtinsurance.com or give us a call at (804) 633-4242. We look forward to hearing from you!#liftupyourcommunity