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Marian Hobbie, Ph.D. served as a principal for 20 years, Assistant Superintendent in the Diocese of Rockville Center for three years and is currently serving as the instructional coach at Cristo Rey Newark High School and as an instructor at Holy Family University in the educational leadership program.
Dr. Hobbie has been involved with Middle States since 1988 and has participated in over 20 school accreditation visits. She has served as a Middle States Commissioner for the past three years.
Q. Why did you choose a career in education?
A. I actually didn’t choose being an educator because I was planning to have a career in the business world. I had received a full college scholarship to the College of Education at Fairleigh Dickenson University and decided to take advantage of it by majoring in secondary business education. After I student taught in a high school, I was hooked even though my classroom was covered in spitballs for the first few days.
Q. What do you consider one of the main benefits of Middle States accreditation?
A. When I was introduced to Middle States, I was impressed with the Plan for Growth and Improvement because it was my first experience with long-range planning. For me, that is a major strength of the accreditation protocol; the second is the in-depth school analysis through peer and self-review. The Program of Distinction designation is an added layer to accreditation for schools that strive to achieve a high-quality education for their students.
Q. What advice do you have for someone entering the education field?
A. I have two pieces of advice for new educators. First, you have to walk into the classroom with the complete confidence and expectation that the students will do what you ask them to do. Students almost always respond well to a teacher who is confident and passionate about what they are teaching. Second, I congratulate any new teachers out there on entering the profession and assure you that it will be extremely rewarding. However, you must recognize that this is just the first step in your educational journey, because teaching is a lifelong learning experience.
Q. Who inspires you and why?
A. My mom because she gave me three precious gifts—love, faith, and learning. She was raised in the mountains of Slovakia and came to New York City as a young woman, speaking only Slovak. Not only did she learn English, she taught herself to read and write in English. She was the model of a strong woman who worked hard for her family.
Q. What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?
