She saw herself instead as the director of a child care center.

Then, she met Shirley Whitaker.

Whitaker, who just retired from 36 years in education, was teaching a class at then-Brenau College and Meadors was her student.

At the time, Whitaker also was principal of Fair Street Elementary School in Gainesville. "She told me she had a position open," Meadors recalled. "But I had no intention of teaching fourth or fifth grade."

'New challenges'

Still, she took the job and found her niche.

"I loved it."

After spending 23 years at the school, Meadors finds herself with new challenges in 2002-03 and beyond.

She will serve as the new principal of Enota Elementary School, which is projected to have 1,000 kindergartners and first-graders. The school has 19 outside classrooms.

Meadors, 57, will oversee the school as it transforms into an academy for "multiple intelligences" in 2003-04, when the school system expands to five elementary schools from three.

Each school will have a special emphasis. Enota's program will be based on a Harvard University professor's theory that all people have nine intelligences that can either be nurtured or ignored.

Each also will serve children in kindergarten through fifth grade.

Now, Centennial has second and third grades and Fair Street, fourth and fifth grades.

Meadors said her goal is to "create a warm emotional environment for students and teachers. I want to make (Enota) a happy place to learn. Kindergartners and first-graders need that and their teachers do, too."

Southern native

As for her own background, Meadors grew up and attended schools in Morristown, Tenn.

After college, she taught high school science for one year in South Carolina, then spent the next 10 years raising her children.

She moved to Gainesville when her son was in kindergarten and her daughter was in second grade. Both children went through the Gainesville City Schools. Meadors taught fourth grade at Fair Street Elementary School for eight years, then she served as instructional coordinator and assistant principal for 15 years.

She worked under former principal Helen O'Keefe for eight years at Fair Street and regarded her as her mentor.

"I learned a lot from her," she said.

O'Keefe said she expects Meadors will do "an outstanding job" at Enota.

"She has the experience, a love for children, people skills and respect from the faculty," she said.