WILLIAMSBURG — Olwen Herron, who announced her retirement as the Williamsburg James City County Schools (WJCC Schools) Superintendent in October, credits the success she and the school division have had to her passion for teaching and the people around her.
Herron’s retirement from 43 years in education is effective on Jan. 31.
Her career began in Northern Ireland, her first and other home, where she spent 12 years as an English teacher, teaching all of the grades at the secondary level.
Moving to Oklahoma, she taught seniors and juniors, and at an intermediate high school, where she taught freshmen and sophomores.
She said her time in the classroom was vital in preparing her to be a superintendent.
“I think any time teaching in the classroom helps you as a leader, so the longer you spend in the classroom actually teaching and knowing your subject, and knowing the joys in and the challenges of teaching, the better leader you will be,” Herron explained.
She said when she first arrived in Tulsa, she realized that administrators maybe had two or three years of classroom experience before going into administration. That hadn’t been the case in Ireland.
“I think the more experience you personally have — and I mean teaching is my first passion, let’s put it that way — the longer you teach, I think the more you bring to the job,” she said.
Herron said the most rewarding part of her career has been making a difference for students, finding joy in trying to improve the system to better serve families and students in Williamsburg.
“I think when you lose your passion and your first love of students, then it’s time to move on,” Herron said, adding she’s just as passionate about teaching now as she was when she first walked into a classroom.
She said she is still looking at options for what’s next. In retirement, she’s looking forward to spending more time with her family in Ireland, as well as enjoying activities like kayaking and golf. Still, she is exploring ways she can give back to leadership and education and would relish the opportunity to mold future leaders — possibly by teaching or mentoring.
Looking back at her time at WJCC Schools, Herron believes any success that she and the division have had is because of her team and the people of Williamsburg, noting no leader ever walks alone. Because of that team effort, she said she leaves with a lot of optimism about the future of the school system, as she is leaving it in very good hands, from senior leadership to principals to excellent teachers to “wonderful staff in every single role.”
“That is the part I’ll miss most, is actually the people that I work with every single day,” said Herron.
