After 22 years in the classroom, Tina Langford has taken on an entirely new set of duties – but don’t expect her to have forever left the classroom setting.

Langford was recently hired as Principal of the Early Childhood Center, attended by pre-school and kindergarten students and located adjacent to the Clinton County Learning Center and Public Library just north of Albany on U.S. 127.

She took her position as principal after the holiday break, although Clinton County Schools have only attended around eight to 10 days in 2011 due to winter weather.

Langford said she has always wanted to become a principal, but she wanted to gain enough classroom experience before making that decision. When the opportunity recently came her way, she decided that her 22 years of classroom experience would be sufficient to fill the shoes of principal.

“When I first got into it, I wanted to be a principal. I got into the classroom and loved it and I didn’t pursue it,” Langford said. “I wanted to wait until I had some years experience. I think it’s great when your administrator has walked in your shoes. I think it makes you a better administrator.”

“I want to make myself visual in the classroom on a weekly basis,” Langford said. “I’ve already been in the classrooms and introduced myself and shared some stories and I think that has been good for the kids, but I want the children to see me as a learner. I want them to see me in the classroom.”

Langford feels her 22 years of experience in the classroom will help her bridge the gap that sometimes exists between administrators and faculty.

“I’m excited about being here and I think the teachers are excited about me being here because of that experience I have in the classroom” Langford said. “Everything I can help them with … I want to.”

Other than working close with teachers, Langford wants to work close with the parents in order to get their suggestions and input on certain matters.

“I’m excited about working with the parents,” Langford said. “I feel like I’m a very social person and I want the parents to have input and to feel like they are welcome here anytime.”

Langford started her teaching career in 1988 and after two years of teaching in northern Kentucky, she moved to Albany where she remained in the classroom until December, 2010.

“I started teaching in 1988, and I started here in 1990,” Langford said. “I had two years in Covington before I came here.”

Langford is a native of Clinton County and is married to Mike Langford. They have three teenagers, Colby, 15,Colin and Corianne, both 13.

After completing high school, Langford attended Eastern Kentucky University and received her teaching degree. Langford later attended Western Kentucky University and completed her master’s degree as a reading specialist and her Rank I in educational leadership.

Langford has also had the opportunity to have training as a math recovery specialist, and she plans to use that background as the means to make math one of the focal points for students attending the ECC.

In the upcoming weeks, Langford said she would like to place a parent comment box outside of the school for parents to voice their concerns or ask questions.

Langford said the comment box will be for those who don’t have a lot of time to come in and sit down to see teachers or administrators.

“They can just write what they want on a piece of paper and stick it in the box,” Langford said. “If there is something they want to communicate with us about, it will be there. I really can’t be successful without everybody’s help … the staff, the parents … so far I’ve had a great support group.”

Although Langford has not quite had a full month in her new position, she said she is very excited about it and has had a warm welcome.

“I really like it. Everybody has really welcomed me and the meetings in the mornings are good,” Langford said. “I’m excited about helping them become better teachers. That’s kind of been my main goal for wanting to become an administrator is so that I can help and provide teachers with the things that they need. Sometimes it’s the little things that mean more to them.”

After spending 22 years in the classroom, Langford has moved to one of the top positions in the school district. Even though she is planning on spending a great deal of time in the classroom, working with students, she still thinks she will miss the classroom atmosphere she has been used to all those years.

“I will miss the classroom. That’s why I want to be involved in the classroom,” Langford said. “I definitely want to be with the kids and interact with them. When we start the physical education grant I want to be in there with them jumping rope and exercising and I think if they see me in there doing that it will encourage them to see the importance of education.”

Finding ways to communicate with students has been one of the most important aspects of being a teacher. If a teacher can’t communicate with the students on an individual level, learning becomes more difficult.

“As a classroom teacher, I tried to develop a relationship with my kids,” Langford said. “I tried to find things that they liked whether it was sports, hunting or whatever … I tried to find things they like and that’s something I could use to communicate with them. I think good classroom teachers make a point to develop good relationships with their students.”

Langford noted that while education is very important, teachers also have to reach students on a social level.

“We have to meet the child socially,” Langford. “We have to meet those needs first. If we don’t meet them socially, then it is hard to meet them academically.

As Langford reaches the end of her first month as ECC Principal, she hopes she can make a difference in the eyes of her teachers and the students who walk her halls.

“I’m excited and I hope I can make a difference over here and bring back some of that enthusiasm for teaching,” Langford said. “I hope to help them find and do the best practices out there for our kids. To do that we have to trust one another, become a family and my goal is for us to become a blue ribbon school.”