Becoming an educator was the last thing on Charlotte Griffeth’s mind when she graduated from the University of Georgia all those years ago.

“My mom always wanted me to be a teacher, but I never thought I would go into education,” Griffeth said. “I wanted to be a journalist and travel the world.”

Griffeth landed the seemingly ideal job with Turner Broadcasting, but after seven years and the death of her husband, the Dallas County native decided it was time to go back home.

After getting her master’s degree in education specialist from Auburn University at Montgomery, Griffeth became what her mother always wanted.

She has spent the past 10 years working in both the Selma City and Dallas County school systems as teacher, assistant principal and principal.

Since 1999, Griffeth has taken on the role of principal at Selma Middle C.H.A.T. Academy.

She has not looked back at her old career since.

“I tell people that my worst days here are better than my best days at Turner Broadcasting,” Griffeth said.

During her tenure at C.H.A.T. Academy, Griffeth has been responsible for a lot of firsts in the Selma City School System.

The school was the first to have its own television studio and its own program on cable. It was the first to introduce SECME, a program based around science and technology, to students. It was the first to introduce a flight simulator class into the curriculum.

This fall, CHAT Academy will also become the first school to offer the International Baccalaureate Program.

“It’s a high academic level program which will allow students to receive the International Baccalaureate degree,” Griffeth said. “Students who have this degree usually receive scholarships to college.”

60 children from sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grades have enrolled in the specialized program.

“With so much going on here, we have an opportunity to reach children and give them something they can fall back on,” Griffeth said. “Later on in life, these kids can draw from what they learned here.”

Griffeth runs a tight ship at CHAT Academy, and her headstrong attitude seems to be working.

The principal said she had a four-year plan to change CHAT Academy, but she managed to do it in only three.

“Several things needed revamping,” Griffeth said. “First I focused on discipline. The next thing was renovations, and the last was academics. You can’t expect children to improve their grades until the first two things are taken care of first. Once the renovations finished early, everything fell into place.”

Academics have greatly improved at Selma’s magnet school under Griffeth’s watch, and discipline problems are at a minimum.

Through the hard work and Griffeth and her staff, which she calls her “family”, the children at C.H.A.T. Academy are guaranteed have a bright future.

“I couldn’t do this without the help of my staff, Superintendent Dr. Carter and the City School board, the mayor and the city council,” Griffeth said. “They deserve all the appreciation more than me.”