Georgia’s Longest-Serving Educator Retires After 59 Years of Teaching and Learning

Room 106 of Newnan High School was Barbara Landreth’s home away from home for 56 of her 59 years as a Georgia educator. When she began teaching in the room in 1964, it contained little more than desks and a blackboard. When she retired in 2020, its contents had grown to include computers and printers, but the blackboard remained – retained at her request during a school-wide upgrade to whiteboards. And when a devastating EF4 tornado with up to 200 mile- per-hour winds tore through the town the following year, taking with it much of the high school, Room 106 and its blackboard – the only one in use at the time in all of Coweta County – survived untouched. But the generations of students who moved through Room 106 during the nearly six decades of Landreth’s tenure were forever touched by a teacher of exceptional rigor and extraordinary heart.

On a recent Newnan morning, against the backdrop of dozens of yearbooks she had guided to publication, and with the steady hum of school-rebuilding construction work as accompaniment, Barbara Andrews Landreth, Georgia’s longest-serving educator and a member of PAGE since the association’s founding, sat down with PAGE One to speak about the profession she loves.

“I’ve always loved teaching and I’ve always loved learning,” said Landreth. “You can’t change a number without changing an answer, but you can change a word and make it a better answer.”

Many who know Landreth wholeheartedly agree with that view. Several of her former students enthusiastically shared with us that their answers to so many things – high school and college assignments, work projects, career challenges, and even storms of life –were most certainly made better by the impact of Landreth’s teaching.

One of those students, Vivian Dunn, attributes her success in post-secondary studies to what she learned from Landreth. “Nothing in college was new for me,” Dunn told PAGE One, including all writing and research assignments as well as studies of poetry and other literature. I had studied all of it under the guidance of Barbara Landreth.”

According to another former student, Landreth’s reach extended well beyond high school and college. “I attribute so much of my love for communication, especially written communication, to Mrs. Barbara Landreth,” said Kelly Hines. “Her impact and influence on me, both through her teaching and through her passion for her students, has remained with me all these years later. I will forever be grateful to have had the privilege of being her student.”

These glowing statements do not stand in isolation. Rather, they are representative of an outpouring of accolades about Landreth and her powerful, lasting influence:

• “Mrs. Landreth taught me to value concise communication,” Mark Whitlock, director of public policy/CEO, Central Educational Center – Coweta County School System told us. “She showed me ways to unlock the power of language. That knowledge and skill is invaluable!”

• “Her classroom was truly a place of learning about not only grammar and literature but also about life,” observed Bobbi Lynn Moreno.

• “It was Mrs. Landreth’s guidance during my four years on the yearbook committee that shaped my work ethic and attention to detail,” Andrew (Harwell) Eliopulos shared. “I owe her an immense debt of gratitude for that.”

• She “helped me recognize the importance of individualism and creativity,” Gary Leftwich stated. “I am a better person for having been (her) student.”

• “Her dedication to teaching and helping students grow is unmatched,” Christy Van Drew told us.

• “She taught us all to work harder yet smarter in our journeys as educators and as life-long learners,” said University of West Georgia faculty member and PAGE Board of Directors secretary Dr. Susan Mullins. A former student of Landreth’s, Mullins later became her Newnan High School colleague, neighbor, and friend.

Landreth hears from former students frequently. Many send her cards, letters, announcements, copies of published works, and more. Generations of students share testimony of a job well done. Yet, according to Landreth, nothing that she did as an educator was extraordinary. “I was just doing what I was supposed to have been doing all those years,” she said. “I always just came in and did the job to the best of my ability.”

Coming to work every day was an honor and privilege for Landreth. Throughout her entire career, she was absent fewer than 10 days. For most of them, she told us, “I can tell you exactly what days I was out and why.”

Landreth’s dedication to her students was paramount. “There’s much more to teaching than just standing in front of a room lecturing,” she told us as she explained how critical it is to know and respond to each student as an individual. Long before the concepts of individualized learning and whole-child instruction were part of the education lexicon, Landreth’s teaching exemplified both.

Landreth’s focus has always been on her students – expecting their best effort while giving hers, all with the goal of learning and growth. “I just love learning,” she said. “I’m convinced after all my years of teaching that that’s why teachers teach. They love learning.”

While speaking with us about how she encouraged students to learn all they could from each of their teachers, she shared one of her trademark expressions. “I would always tell my students, ‘I don’t know much. Just let me teach you what I know,’” she recalled.

What Landreth knew, taught, and shared was invaluable. “No matter what decade they attended, when people speak about Newnan High School, the name Barbara Landreth always comes up,” principal Chase Puckett told us. “She embodies the essence of what good teaching was and still is. She is truly one of a kind, and even as we rebuild Newnan High School, we will never forget the legacy that is Barbara Landreth.”

As part of that legacy, Landreth was named STAR Teacher five times. In each instance, Newnan High School’s STAR Student selected Landreth as the teacher most influential to his/her success. When asked about how it felt to receive such recognition, Landreth placed all the emphasis on the students rather than herself. “They were all delights,” said Landreth. “I was really honored to be chosen, but I don’t know why I was the one picked out of all the great teachers at Newnan High School.”

In addition to her extensive positive influence on hundreds of students throughout her career, Landreth greatly impacted her fellow educators as well. She was never too busy to listen, help, and inspire:

• “Barbara’s influence extended far past the atmosphere of literature and grammar she created in her classroom,” Susan Smith told PAGE One. “As a first-year teacher especially and even after, her advice in classroom management and preparing lessons was priceless. She always had an ear to listen to the problems that I and others encountered and we had an ear to listen to her wisdom and expertise.”

• “She was one of the best teachers around,” Leesa Bates observed. “She is one of the most caring and generous friends that I have ever met. She demanded respect, good work ethic, dependability, and promptness. She made us all better students, co-workers, and friends.”

• “I taught Family & Consumer Science next door at Newnan High School to Barbara for about 20+ years,” said Kristan Sweet. “I always enjoyed going next door into Barbara’s classroom on a regular basis just to talk and regroup from the school day. She gave a listening ear, and shared advice and great food. Barbara is one special friend that I am super lucky to have!”

• “Barbara Landreth is a treasure,” Susan Quesinberry told us. “For 59 years, Barbara not only taught hundreds and hundreds of students, but she also encouraged, befriended, and helped hundreds of colleagues. Her love of learning has far-reaching influence as it ripples through the halls of education.”

The halls of education are extremely important to Landreth – especially those within her beloved Newnan High School. In addition to teaching generations of students, she enjoyed being yearbook sponsor for more than five decades. “I loved it,” said Landreth. “I loved taking the photos and knowing about all that was going on. The yearbook was from the first day of school to the last day of school, so I knew about everything. It was a lot of fun!”

It was fun, meaningful, and lasting. Allison Rogers, Landreth’s former student and colleague, is now yearbook sponsor. Her predecessor continues to inspire the work. “No one can ever replace Mrs. Landreth’s legacy at Newnan High School,” Rogers told us. “The fact that I received her stamp of approval to follow her as the yearbook advisor is by far one of the greatest compliments I could ever receive. Each year, my students and I work hard to make her proud.”

The year following her retirement, the school dedicated the yearbook to Landreth. Dr. Steve B. Barker, former Newnan High School principal and Superintendent of Coweta Schools, wrote:

“It is altogether fitting for this yearbook to be dedicated to Mrs. Barbara Landreth … She spent countless hours meticulously making sure that each edition of the yearbook was unique and special and that it brought to life the culture and the experiences at Newnan High School for all who viewed it. The richness of her influence continues to be crisply evident in each edition … Generations continue to tell of her positive influence on their lives and on their understanding of the written word. There are many of us who can say Mrs. Barbara Landreth helped us become who we are today. It is good for us to remember this fact, and it is good for her to know it. Thank you, Mrs. Landreth. We are all better people because of you.”

Landreth’s wisdom is vast, her contributions immense, and her positive impact evident. She is certain of much, including the decision to retire. “All those years, I went to work every day and taught what I knew,” she told us. “I always said I’d retire when I got the job right one time.” On June 15, 2020, at the age of 80, after turning in the final pages of the Newnan High School yearbook, Georgia’s longest-serving educator knew she had achieved her goal. n