She Was Born To Teach

Written By: Luke Osteen | Issue: October 2023 | Photograph By: Susan Renfro

Megan Q. Van Der Linde

You may think that it’d be a bit daunting for Megan Q Van Der Linde to take the reins of the Gordon Center for Children as its executive director. 

After all, the center is a Plateau Institution, providing early childhood education opportunities to families of Highlands and the surrounding areas.

But it turns out Van Der Linde has been preparing for the task her entire life.

“I’ve always known I wanted to be a teacher,” she says. I was always playing school with my two younger brothers. I taught them how to write and do simple math problems before they even went to Kindergarten. 

“When I was 16, I had a friend who worked in a childcare center ask me if I wanted a job there. I took her up on the offer and soon became an after-school teacher for two-year-olds. I continued working full time in childcare while also going to community college. During that time, I had the titles of lead teacher in a two-year-old class, several three-year-old classes and a semester as the lead substitute in a Georgia Pre-K classroom in five different centers in the Atlanta suburbs where I grew up. After eight years working in classrooms, I knew I wanted to be a childcare center director. 

“I then moved away to attend school at Georgia Southern University and pursue my BS degree in child and family development with a minor in business management. 

After graduating from Georgia Southern, I completed my internship with the nationally accredited childcare centers at Fort Benning. After completing my internship, I was hired as the quality assurance and franchise manager for a large corporate childcare company in Columbus.  I wrote and taught teacher training, I collaborated with teachers on classroom set ups to maximize learning and minimize challenging behaviors and wrote a monthly parent newsletter.

“In 2014, I moved to Highlands to be the Programs Director at The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center. In this role, I planned and oversaw all adult, children and intergenerational programming. I especially loved being the summer camp director. This was the time I really leaned into using leadership principles to build and grow an outstanding youth program that included leadership development for the youth and the staff. 

“The opportunity of executive director at The Gordon Center seemed like it just popped up. and the board approved my appointment right before the new school year started. 

I was immediately impressed with the legacy and commitment to the love and care for the children at The Gordon Center. I had always heard about the reputation of The Gordon Center around town and I knew I wanted to be a part of that legacy.”