Bobbi Sauls ‘God Had a Plan for Me’

As a five-year-old, Bobbi Sauls, a high school teacher at Piedmont Academy, was already experiencing government as her mother was elected treasurer of Jasper County.

“I remember going to the courthouse with my mother and thinking this is so interesting.” She decided very young that she wanted to work in government.

Bobbi Hue Sauls was supposed to be the last child of her parents and after two girls, her father just knew this one was a boy. When a girl was born, he insisted that they name her after him anyway, so her father’s name, Bobby, was changed to Bobbi as the female spelling and she also got his middle name, Hugh, also changed to a different spelling, Hue. The Sauls had another child only a year and a half after Bobbi, and this time it was a boy, but the father’s name was already taken.

{{more}}

She attended Piedmont Academy and loved learning. As a junior at Piedmont, Bobbie traveled with the school to Washington, D.C., and it was a deciding point in her life. She prepared to go to college and was ready when she was accepted at North Georgia College and State University in Dahlonega. To attain her Bachelor of Arts degree in political science pre-law, she had to intern for a few months, and luckily she applied and was chosen to intern for Senator Sam Nunn in Washington.

Bobbi felt this internship and Washington, D.C. was in her destiny. Her father and mother had met when they both worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Washington. She eagerly accepted the internship and very bravely left her small hometown, Monticello, to work and live inside the Beltway.

She reported to Nunn’s office in the Dirksen Building and lived right across the street in an all-women’s dormitory. The hours were long, longer when the Senate was in session. She was responsible for researching domestic interests such as environmental and transportation bills and meeting with lobbying labor unions. She continued to work for Sen. Nunn until his retirement in January, 1997.

Then, she briefly worked in the newly-elected Senator Max Cleland’s office, helping them get organized. Her next job in Washington was for Leading Authorities, a speaker’s bureau, managing the logistic department. Leading Authorities was no match for the high-energy life she had grown accustomed to on Capitol Hill.

One day her former headmaster at Piedmont Academy, Johnny Smith, called and asked her if she would be interested in teaching social studies, government and history at the school. She reminded him that she did not have a teaching certificate. He told her that she could work on it while teaching at the school.

By August of 1998, she was moving back to Monticello, going back home to her family, and going back to her alma mater.

“God had a different plan for me than what I had expected. I had been to Washington, learned how the Senate worked, watched the deals being made, had been a part of history. Now I was prepared to teach my students what they would need to know, just as I had been prepared for my future.”

Bobbi began teaching social studies at Piedmont Academy in the fall of 1998. She taught by day and attended Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville at nights and during summers to attain a teaching certificate. In June, 2004, she got her initial teaching certificate, and she currently teaches two classes of civics, two world history classes and one advanced placement United States government course.

In 1999 she became assistant coach to guide the students who would participate in the Georgia Independent School Association one-act plays, debate teams and spring literary contests. In 2005 she became head coach and has succeeded in leading her students to win many regional and 10 state titles over the last seven years. In 2010 and 2011, Piedmont students were state champions in both one-act play and debate teams.

Each year the school’s STAR student nominates a teacher to share in the honor, and Bobbi has been chosen for the honor in 2000, 2008, 2010 and 2011.

Bobbi had a strong religious upbringing and enjoys her chance to display her vocal talents in the Monticello Baptist Church choir as a praise team leader, choir member and soloist. Also, she occasionally sings at Monticello Community Band events.

In her spare time, though rare, Bobbi enjoys reading political thrillers and futurist adventures and eating her favorite food, pizza, any kind.

She was fortunate to live the dream of a political science student by living and working in the hub of our government but thankful that she has been drawn back to her hometown and for her work in preparing her students for their future whatever path they take.

“Sometimes the path you choose does not take you to the place where you think you will go. When you trust God, He re-directs you to His plan, doing exactly what you were meant to do all along.”