Kathy Smith’s teaching career, pre-Woodward Academy, is memorable partly for the educator getting assaulted, breaking up gang initiation beatings, hiding from suspected drive-by shooters and requiring a police escort following a death threat from a parent.
A bad day on the Woodward North campus in Johns Creek, she says, is when the classroom laminator fails to work.
A native of New Jersey who moved to Atlanta as a fourth-grader, Smith had taught in South Carolina, Georgia and California when she withdrew from the profession in 1989.
A year after enrolling her third child at Woodward, she was invited to become a paraprofessional there in first grade. Since it was a half-day commitment that corresponded with her 4-year-old daughter’s time at school, she agreed.
By the following school year, Smith’s appetite for teaching was restored. She taught science for nearly a decade, then switched to second-grade homeroom.
She also serves on the school’s Sustainability Committee and directs the Odyssey of the Mind program, a competitive extracurricular activity that focuses on creative fields such as visual and performing arts, music and creative writing.
In her 13th year at Woodward, Smith remains amazed at various aspects of the job, one of which is the issuance of credit cards to teachers. At a prior school, she was charged for the number of inches of film used for lamination.
Q. What prompted you to resume your career?
A. I came back to teaching because all my children were here and I got bored shopping and playing tennis. I was a “room mom” helper and loved being back with the students. I was a little worried because I didn’t want to work here and then become disenchanted with the school. I was very happy as a parent. Sometimes you like something and then you find out everything about it and you are not nearly as happy. That was not the case at Woodward North. I am still happy.
Q. Thirteen years later, what factors make Woodward a good place to work?
A. I think the academy has integrity and values each child. It does my heart good to be able to work in a school where I am not only free but enabled to help them reach their potential.
Q. How supportive is the administration to you and other teachers?
A. My administration allows me great latitude in meeting the needs of my students, be they Odyssey of the Mind kids or my homeroom children. I feel the senior administration at the main campus is very open, transparent and supportive.
Q. The academy president seems to make an effort to keep employees informed on such important but sensitive issues as the budget and revenue. Do you feel sufficiently informed, and is the effort noticed by faculty and staff?
A. Yes, I do feel sufficiently informed and I do think the staff and faculty notice the effort by the senior staff. Dr. [F. Stuart] Gulley’s transparency is very much appreciated. [Headmaster] Mr. [David] McCollum and he even drove up to Woodward North to meet with the faculty in person to keep us informed of the budget and enrollment situations.
Q. Is there an appreciation for the academy avoiding a cut in employee benefits and/or involuntary layoffs?
A. Yes, [the administration has] worked very hard to minimize the impact of the economy on employee benefits and involuntary layoffs. This is another instance of WA’s commitment to the faculty and the feeling of family we have at our school.
Q. Some of your peers mentioned the academy’s willingness to provide [and pay for] training. Have you noticed this — and taken advantage of it?
A. Yes, Woodward Academy facilitates the growth and education of the faculty by encouraging us to enroll in classes or workshops, giving us the time to attend and providing financial support. I have taken advantage of this by taking classes at Mercer and attending Science and Sustainability workshops.
Q. You have a company-issued credit card? What is it used for? Is there a limit?
A. I can buy what I need for my class, be it instructional materials, craft supplies or Internet subscriptions. Yes, there is a limit. I have never maxed my card, although I am occasionally asked to produce receipts.
Q. Is the Odyssey of the Mind program as interesting as it sounds?
A. It is 21st-century learning and design-thinking at its finest. It is child-driven, creative problem-solving. It is a daily challenge and it is very interesting. Woodward North is very competitive even at the world level.
Q. Have you tried the boot camp?
A. We don’t have that at Woodward North.
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