Spring 2005

Volume 8 Number 2
A publication of Macon State College

The Kathy Stanley File   Born: In Mobile, Ala., 56 years ago.   Family: Husband, Joe, a retired Robins Air Force Base engineer; two grown sons; three grandchildren.   Education: Doctorate in education and specialist in education, University of Georgia; master of education, Georgia College & State University; bachelor of science in education, University of South Alabama. Certified in Georgia to teach elementary and middle grades education. Also holds certification in school administration and supervision.   Career Highlights: Spent 34 years in the Houston County school system, the last 14 as assistant principal for instruction at Northside High School.   She Said It: “If I had it to do all over again, I would still become a teacher.” (Photo: Nick Oza)

By Sheron Smith

The irony of Dr. Kathy Stanley's long and distinguished education career may be that she almost cut her own schooling short.

Her father was an Alabama state trooper and cabinetmaker and her mother was a seamstress. They were good, hardworking, blue-collar folks who never gave a thought to sending their children to college.

“I never thought about it, either,” Stanley said, “although I was a good student in high school.”

Her husband - Stanley married at age 18 - did think about it. Joe Stanley was six years older, and at the time of their marriage had already gotten himself an engineering degree from the University of Alabama. He encouraged his wife to go to college, so she enrolled at the University of South Alabama.

In 1970, Stanley graduated with a bachelor's degree in elementary education, having chosen that major almost solely because of the fond memories she had of one of her seventh-grade teachers. A few months later, her husband got an engineering job at Robins Air Force Base and the couple moved from Mobile to Warner Robins.

Today, if there were a Who's Who in Houston County Public Education, you'd find Kathy Stanley's name high on the list. Beginning with her first job at Tabor Junior High, Stanley spent the next 34 years doing just about everything there is to do in Houston County schools.

Her resume includes teaching jobs at, besides Tabor, the Houston County Vocational School, Elberta Elementary and Warner Robins Junior High. As she continued to earn advanced degrees (Stanley now holds a doctorate from the University of Georgia), she moved into school administration, first as instructional coordinator at Watson Elementary and later as assistant principal for instruction at Northside High. She held that job for 14 years before retiring from the school system in 2004.

Now a newly hired assistant professor of education at Macon State, Stanley is working with the College administration to guide the development of the bachelor's degree in early childhood education. She will also teach in the new program.

“I don't think Macon State could have made a better choice,” said Ed Dyson, the now retired Northside principal with whom Stanley worked for many years. “She is one of a kind.”

Dyson said that what makes his former colleague special is her impeccable professionalism and her ability to mentor other teachers, especially those new to the classroom.

“A lot of the camaraderie we had at Northside I attribute to Kathy,” he said. “She always pulled teachers together and treated them with respect. She helped young teachers feel comfortable and helped them grow as educators. If you were a teacher at Northside and couldn't make it with her guidance, then you were in the wrong profession.”

Dr. Barbara Frizzell, Macon State's vice president for academic affairs, said the College is fortunate that Stanley was ready to take her career in a new direction around the same time the Board of Regents made it a priority for the University System to increase the number and diversity of teachers.

“I knew her reputation for effectively mentoring new teachers,” Frizzell said. “Now she has an opportunity to help aspiring teachers at an even earlier stage of their development.”

The College's challenge includes developing a curriculum based on a fairly new approach to teacher education. Macon State's early childhood degree will enable potential teachers to earn certification in early childhood education and special education. With a background in both, a teacher would have the necessary skills to reach children with different learning styles. While graduates will not be required to become certified in both areas, Macon State expects most will do so in order to increase their professional marketability.

“Building a program from the ground up gives Macon State an advantage right away,” Stanley said. “We don't have to retrofit this relatively new model into the traditional way teacher education has been taught. For me, as an educator, it's a wonderful opportunity. We're going to be sending some good teachers out there, teachers that this College will be proud of.”

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