Tim Childers thought he’d get a degree in Biblical studies and work full time in his church.
Twenty-four years later he is teaching in the Bradley County school system and is named among one of the top five educators in the country.
“Really, all I wanted to do is go back to Arkansas and work in my local church,” he said. “It sort of took a different turn.”
After graduating from Lee University in 1986, Childers spent five years in England working as a Christian education program director with the Church of God. He worked on Catholic and Protestant parishes at an Air Force base and “fell in love with education in general,” he said.
This year Childers was named as one of the top five educators nationwide with the Discovery Educator Network. He also was elected president of the Bradley County Association of Professional Educators.
The organization is a local affiliate of the Professional Educators of Tennessee, the state’s largest professional organization representing more than 52,000 teachers, administrators and education students, according to the Tennessee Education Association website.
As the association’s president, Childers’ immediate goal is to increase membership and make more professional development opportunities available to teachers, he said.
J.C. Bowman, a former teacher who organized BCAPE, said half of the 250 teachers who were active years ago in the local branch no longer participate.
However, Bowman, now the executive director of Education, Public Policy & Consulting Global Management, said he’s confident Childers is the person to rebuild membership and help educators pursue professional development opportunities.
“He’s a dynamic teacher and a leader in the school system,” Bowman said. “He’s available all of the time. He puts information on the Internet and he’s a real strong promoter.”
Fellow teacher Gypsy Armstrong agreed.
“He’s very dedicated and knowledgeable in all areas, whether its language arts or the computer lab and he enjoys working with kids.”
Childers said he’d like to work with Tennessee Education Association chapters in surrounding counties to make joint efforts toward providing more professional development opportunities for teachers such as getting speakers, providing software training and teaching classroom management skills.
As a top educator with the Discovery Channel, Childers gets to show teachers how to use various computer programs and technology that might help make learning more fun for students.
Childers says he would one day like to be a principal because he enjoys helping teachers just as much as he does students.
“When you can see the light bulb go on and they understand it and now they can go back and do it on their own, that is hugely gratifying for me,” Childers said.
Tim Childers
* Age: 52
* Occupation: Teacher, Bradley County Association of Professional Educators president
* Education: Bachelor’s in Biblical education from Lee University; master’s in education K-12 from Tusculum College; master’s in secondary English from UTC
* Family: Three daughters and three grandchildren
Tim Childers
* Age: 52
* Occupation: Teacher, Bradley County Association of Professional Educators president
* Education: Bachelor’s in Biblical education from Lee University; master’s in education K-12 from Tusculum College; master’s in secondary English from UTC
* Family: Three daughters and three grandchildren