Local News - November 2002

Social worker Foster honored

By JEREMY ASHTON, LTN Staff Writer

November 18, 2002 - From the moment Ola Mae Foster’s students sit down in the same room with her, it becomes obvious that she has earned a certain respect.

Foster’s charges listen attentively to what she has to say. They trust her.

“She talks to us when we need help, and if we’re having a problem, she tries to talk it through so we feel better about it,” said Beth Bailey, 18, a student at Asbury Alternative School on pace to graduate in December. “She just really takes her time with people and understands that not everybody is perfect.”

Maybe it has something to do with Foster’s calm demeanor and smile. Or maybe it’s that she reciprocates their feelings for her.

“I have a lot of respect for them,” said Foster, a social worker with Lincoln County Schools. “I’m just a person that believes that you have to treat people as they want to be treated.”

After a lifetime working with students, Foster was named the N.C. Social Worker of the Year last month.

While she appreciates being recognized by her peers, Foster said her greatest reward comes every day when she deals with her students.

Foster, who was Lincoln County Schools’ first social worker, has spent more than 20 years working with the school system. On a daily basis, she deals with students at Asbury, Battleground Elementary, G.E. Massey Elementary, Iron Station Elementary, Lincolnton Middle and Lincolnton High.

To her, being a social worker isn’t just a way to pay the bills.

“Social work is my calling; it’s my ministry,” she said. “I wouldn’t do anything else but social work.”

Foster sees her role as being a link between the schools, the community and  students’ homes.

While teachers handle the academic side, Foster and the school system’s two other social workers have to make sure everything else is “in balance” to allow students to succeed. That could mean anything from helping a student’s family find a home to working with someone who has a discipline problem.

Foster often interacts with various agencies to ensure students’ needs are met. She meets with parents to let them know what their children need to do to pass state-mandated tests. And she answers any questions parents might have.

Regardless of how much help she offers, Foster understands that the direction a student goes is ultimately his or her own responsibility.

“We have a problem with thinking that you can change people, but we can’t … ,” she said. “We have to allow people to make their own decisions and let them know that we’re there for them.”

In addition to her work with individuals, Foster heads up a student group called Girls in Action.

The girls, who often don’t know each other until they attend the meetings, regularly convene to plan community service projects and learn to interact with one another.

The group only deepens the bond Foster shares with her students.

“She understands you better than some of the teachers here,” said Shawntel Bell, 16. “We can come talk to her about anything.”

“She’s very unique,” added Jessica Anderson, 16. “She’s a very special person.”

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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