Veteran coach enjoys youthful spirit
By Andy Britt
NL Staff Writer
1 October 2008 — Talk about busy…
Her motor keeps running: she's raising two children, is married to a bank executive/ACC football referee/school board candidate, and, oh yeah, she’s taught physical education in Princeton for the better part of the last 20 years.
Any girl who has passed through the Princeton school system has likely been tutored by Paula Wooten, who began teaching in 1984. Since then, she’s taught middle school and now elementary students, as well as coached high school volleyball.
“I started coaching the first year we had volleyball at Princeton in ’86 and coached varsity until 2002,” Mrs. Wooten said. “In all the years, I’ve found it rewarding to see the change in the kids – and it’s been a good thing – when you see them improve and reaching goals.”
Mrs. Wooten grew up in Kenly and graduated from North Johnston in 1980. She then matriculated to Louisburg Junior College for two years before completing her degree work at Atlantic Christian College (Barton) in Wilson.
Paula and her husband, Mike, have two children: Michael, 11; and Meredith, 5.
“Basically, our whole life has been about the kids and educating kids about physical education,” says her husband, Mike. “We both met because of sports, and that’s why she’s my idol, really. She understands athletics and how athletics-minded I am. She understands how athletics play a big part in kids’ lives, as far as teaching them about the ups and downs of life and preparing them for the future.”
Mrs. Wooten says now teaching elementary school is a little different than middle school, because she gets to mentor girls for six years instead of three.
“And I can see them longer to learn and be successful. That’s how I get the most out of what I do,” Mrs. Wooten says.
Although, she admits, the kids of today don’t work as hard as they used to.
“When I was growing up, my dad was a farmer, so I put in tobacco. It’s just the way the world has changed.
“Now you have laptop computers and all the technology they have now. Kids have more to do now than to just study and play sports,” she says.
But the most challenging aspect of her work, she says, is just learning how to adjust her teaching style to fit each and every child’s differences.
“Especially in middle school…sometimes they acted like they were five,” she said. “Then you could see a difference from one day into another, and that was kind of challenging.”
Talk about busy…
Mike is currently running for a seat on the Johnston County Board of Education in this November’s election. He works for Four Oaks Bank in Smithfield and has served on Smithfield Town Council.
“He wanted to get involved and have a voice in this end of the county,” Mrs. Wooten says.
Mr. Wooten says, “I see the struggles that teachers have and I see how much she [Mrs. Wooten] prepares for work each and every day. I see how accountable she is for teaching her kids, and the accountability she has is the same I think all teachers should have. And that is why I’m running.
“I think teacher pay is a big issue in what they have to do. They [teachers] are responsible for education and the future of our kids, and I can see that she prepares every night for her next day. And I just don’t think they get paid what they should get paid. The education of our kids is an investment in our country.”
Talk about busy…
In addition to his other endeavors, Mike is an Atlantic Coast Conference football referee, who officiated Duke’s big win over Virginia this past Saturday in Durham, and will travel to Miami this Saturday for Florida State at Miami.
“I’m involved in a lot of things,” Mike says, “and she could think of many reasons for me not to run for school board; but I’ve got a large investment in the school system – my wife and my kids."
“It’s nice, because it’s given us and our family the opportunity to travel,” Paula adds.
And, finally, talk about busy…
The Family Wooten also is in the process of moving to the Princeton area.
They’re building a house in the Lake View subdivision with a move-in date this month.
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