Being Lawrence County’s school improvement specialist, system test coordinator, and social media manager requires incredible amounts of balance and hard work. From serving as the liaison between our district and the state department about state testing, to posting #MotivationalMondays on the Lawrence County Schools Facebook page, Mrs. Tara Helms does it all while making it look easy. Her resoluteness in the face of this year’s challenges makes Mrs. Helms this week’s Red Devil Dynamo.
Supporting the teachers in our school system is the biggest part of being a school improvement specialist, according to Mrs. Helms. “Schools complete improvement plans with goals each year. I look at the plans and find ways I can help teachers and schools reach their goals.” This year, technology has been a major part of those plans, with a large portion of Mrs. Helms’ time going towards helping teachers navigate Clever and Schoology.
Social media is an important aspect of Mrs. Helms’ responsibilities. “My favorite part of my job is celebrating students and teachers on social media,” she said. Motivational Mondays are one way Mrs. Helms highlights members of our school system. “I share a picture of students from a school’s social media. I add a positive quote to the picture. This is a small way we can share positivity and include our amazing students!”
In the past year, Mrs. Helms has seen quite a few changes to her job, most notably the reliance on technology. “We purchased several programs for our teachers to have access to for virtual learning this school year,” she said about the recent changes. “I learned about each program so I could answer questions for our teachers and be able to quickly help them.” Along with being available to answer teacher’s questions, Mrs. Helms planned training programs for the new software in order to help the teachers get more comfortable with virtual learning.
Mrs. Helms’ husband, Jarrod Helms, is an alumnus of Lawrence County High School. He is currently teaching and coaching at Hatton, which happens to be where their four children go to school. Being a close-knit family, they love spending time together watching Alabama football and taking occasional trips to the beach.
While her Facebook posts brighten the day of everyone who sees them, Mrs. Helms’ love of spreading positive energy isn’t only limited to Motivational Mondays. When asked if she had any advice for students, she said: “Never settle! You can absolutely do anything you want if you set your mind to it. You are amazing!”
By: Baylee Willingham, Staff Writer
LCHS Red Hot News Network 