Mrs. Gladys Wright Principal of Chester Shell Elementary School
by Leo Hines
(taken from the Gainesville Courier, Nov. 1987)
A native of Rochelle, Florida, Mrs. Wright bases her educational philosophy on the three E's (experience, exposure and expansion). She elaborates, "these three components are interrelated. As students are exposed to a variety of experiences, and these opportunities expanded, then student's horizons are broadened. I believe in the wholistic approach, which stresses the education of the total child. As educators, we can build upon these experiences by teaching and motivation our pupils to excel in the educational process. Also, it is imperative to become more involved with parents as well as students."
Principal Wright strives to implement her philosophy via sharing it with her staff and faculty, who will incorporate it into their teaching agenda. She sees her challenges as being an active and positive role model and a viable force in developing youngsters into productive citizens. Principal Wright regularly visits classrooms or reads stories to students to afford more interaction with teachers and students. Her future plans also include teaching classes on a limited basis to become even more available.
A former student of Shell Elementary, Mrs. Wright reflects upon the positive responses from both students and parents. "Especially for students, it has caused them to look toward their future and endeavor to take the 'not' out of 'I can't' and say 'I can. " My belief is that all students can succeed in the classroom if motivated."
Born in Gainesville, principal Wright was reared in Rochelle, where she still resides. One of five sisters and one brother, she credits her parents with providing her family with the foundation for success. "My parents were hardworking people, who had the foresight to see the importance of education. I have one sister, who is an assistant professor at the University of Alabama. Two others are, respectively, a kindergarten teacher and a school secretary in Alachua County. And my other sister is employed as a radiology technician in Leesburg, Florida; and my brother holds a supervisory position with the postal service in Norwalk, Connecticut."
Mrs. Wright is a product of both Rochelle and Shell Elementary Schools. Her high school years were spent at Lincoln High School in Gainesville, where she was an honor student. She graduated from Florida A & M with a B.S. degree en Elementary Education wit h a concentration in Music and later earned her Masters Degree in Administration and Supervision.
"I think of education as the center of one's total career as an individual. I believe that every child is unique with different needs, and our students come from varied backgrounds. Therefore, it is so important that their individual needs are addressed i n the classroom at any given time," reflects Mrs. Gladys Wright recently as she commences her first year as principal of Hawthorne's Shell Elementary School.
Her former years of teaching included two years in Gainesville and two in Washington, D.C. By 1972, she had returned to Alachua County and proceeded to teach at J.J. Finley Elementary School for fourteen years before being re-assigned to Shell Elementary in 1986 as a Curriculum Resource Teacher-primary Specialist. And this year, she commences a new relationship with Shell as principal.
A widow, she spends her leisure time reading, listening to classical music and enjoys spectator sports. She is affiliated with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, The Charmettes, B.E.E.P., N.A.A.C.P., and the Association of Elementary School Principals.