A newspaper ad and the heads-up from a friend about a new campus in Johns Creek helped Beth Marien pursue working for Woodward Academy nearly 30 years ago.
She helped open Woodward North in 1990, originally hired as an instructional aide for pre-K. Marien was a lead teacher for five years and taught in third and second grades for a number of years. After serving seven years as assistant principal, she’s in her fourth year as principal at Woodward North, which has 49 full-time staff and 256 students in pre-K through sixth grade.
Q: Does this campus have its own identity?
A: We still pride ourselves on being Woodward Academy. What we do in the classroom is the same as what, as far as curriculum and instruction, is what's going on in College Park. It's just that the families in this area have this opportunity to attend Woodward Academy from pre-kindergarten to sixth grade. It's just an extension of they're doing in College Park.
Q: How did working in public schools compare to working here?
A: The one big thing that comes to mind is resources. Woodward provides the faculty the resources to give them the ability to provide that quality, optimal educational experience for the children in the classroom. The teachers really want for nothing here. That was not always the case for me as a public school teacher. I paid (for) or bought a lot of it myself. That's not the case here.
Q: Are teachers given freedom within their classroom?
A: We do follow a curriculum and there are standards we want our children to meet. We have the freedom to teach our children where they are on the developmental timeline and to explore a topic a little more in depth. We're not restricted by standards and time. That's the beauty here. We do have the freedom to teach the children what they need at that moment.
Q: So you don’t feel like you’re out of sight or out of mind here?
A: (Woodward Academy president) Dr. (Stuart) Gulley tries to get up here as much as he can. Frequently, our senior staff comes to visit us. They pop into the classrooms, get to see what's going and speak to the teachers. They are involved with Woodward North. While we're not close to the College Park campus, we stay in communication with the faculty there. It is a community here among the faculty members. And it's very supportive and you know that people care about you here.
Q: As the principal at Woodward North, what is your impact?
A: What I try to do is create an environment for the faculty — for instance, the schedule — what they would find to be the optimal schedule for the classes they teach. I try to do that for them. I try to support them with any resources they might need. If they need something special, I try to make sure they get it. If they have a problem within the classroom, we try to brainstorm on different ways we can solve it. I try to be the support they need when they need support. I also try to be their cheerleader.
Q: How has Woodward Academy treated you, personally?
A: I think it says a lot when somebody says they've been at the same place this long. And I feel like, personally, this is my second family, my second home. Professionally, it's been a wonderful experience for me. There have been opportunities provided for me that, and I can't say I wouldn't have gotten them somewhere else, but I did get them here. I'm very grateful for that. When you can get up every day and you can look forward to going to work, I think it says a lot. It's a happy place to be.
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