[1] After her parents' death, she worked in Rindge, New Hampshire, as housemaid for Dr. Seth Payson,[2] who helped her secure a sporadic education at the New Ipswich Academy.
[1] From 1820 to 1822, she attended Joseph Emerson’s female seminary in Byfield, Massachusetts[2] and ultimately earned a certificate to teach primary school.
[1] She wrote many letters to the ABCFM about her experiences teaching and showed great enthusiasm for both women's and Indigenous people's education.
[1] During this time, she taught students to read and began gaining increasing knowledge for teaching other subjects, including geography, arithmetic, and astronomy.
[1] While in Georgia, Sawyer defied state law by providing education to two African-American slaves who were owned by Cherokee individuals.
[2] Pressures began rising in 1828 after gold was found on Cherokee territory in the state, and by March 1834, the school officially closed.
[1][2] For the first eight years, Sawyer taught all academic subjects, though she eventually hired more teachers given that she was only certified to teach primary school.
[2] In 1845, the Arkansas Intelligencer wrote that the school's "system of teaching is better adapted to perfect the education of youth than any other in this State, and [...] is as good as that of any other.