Beretta Goodwin had a passion for making a difference in the lives of teachers and children, and had the rare ability of doing just that as an administrator and principal for Harford County Public Schools for more than 20 years.

Beretta Goodwin graduated in 1957 from Longwood College with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and English. She taught fifth grade for a year in Newport News, Virginia before moving to Dover, Delaware. There she taught fifth grade in the Caesar Rodney School District for four years from 1964 to 1968.

In 1968, she began her transition from the classroom to administration when she accepted the position of K-12 Language Arts Supervisor for Ceasar Rodney School District. At the same time, she continued to teach a 10th and 12th grade English classes at the high school.

Beretta continued her education and earned her Master’s degree in Administration from The College of William and Mary in 1970. Following graduation, Beretta attended George Peabody College on a fellowship to become a child development consultant. During this time, she taught and tested in a learning disabilities center.

Beretta moved to North Carolina in 1971 and served as a K-12 Supervisor for five years before coming to Maryland in 1976. It was here in Harford County where Beretta spent the bulk of her education career, sharing her compassion and commitment with students.

“Harford County has a great school system and I was very fond of it,” she said looking back. “Having worked in lots of other systems, I can say that. The people I worked with and the students and parents all influenced my happiness while I was there.”

The happiness was mutual between Beretta and the instructional staff she worked alongside.

“Mrs. Goodwin provided a superb example to me,” said Ms. Rachel Reid, retired elementary principal. “She demonstrated the highest level of professional commitment and competency in her work with peers, colleagues and students, often extending her work far beyond the school day.”

Serving as an elementary supervisor, Beretta worked at Havre de Grace and Meadowvale elementary schools and many of the other elementary schools in the system. She also sat on the Social Studies committee and the Language Arts committee, a position she was particularly proud of.

“One of my major accomplishments while working for HCPS was the Language Arts Committee,” said Beretta. “It was a lot of work to rewrite curriculum – a lot of discussions and ups and downs – but I was able to see it come to fruition and it was very rewarding.”

She is also proud of her work with the teachers at Riverside Elementary. In 1986, Beretta became principal of the school.

As principal of Riverside Elementary, Beretta was described as a calm, compassionate and supportive leader. Teachers under her direction understood they were to teach the curriculum and would be held accountable for teaching it, yet they also understood that Beretta trusted them to identify the best instructional strategies to ensure their students success. She was well-known for her open-door policy, no matter how much work she needed to get done.

It was this same supportive attitude that Beretta used with the students in her school. Beretta reviewed report cards and often wrote notes of congratulations on students’ reports when their grades improved, or notes of encouragement for the next quarter. Students loved reading her messages, and it inspired them to work harder.

Beretta stayed at Riverside Elementary School until her retirement. Beretta and her husband dreamed of retiring together to enjoy their sailboat while they were still young. In 1997, Mrs. Goodwin retired from the Harford County Public Schools, and did indeed set sail with her husband. In fact, they spent four years sailing, including three trips to the Bahamas. They have since taken their travels to land, making trips around the country in their RV. Mrs. Goodwin’s other hobby is reading, and she says she loves to read every chance she gets.

Even after her retirement, Beretta still maintained a sense of commitment to her former employees and connected with them through the years with birthday and holiday cards and calls to see how families were doing.

Mrs. Goodwin and her husband live in North Carolina. They have two daughters who reside in Virginia and two grandchildren.