Educator of the Week: Erin Tims

It’s time to recognize this week’s Educator of the Week, presented by the Tennessee Education Lottery.

Erin Tims is a culinary arts teacher at Crockett County High School in Alamo. She has taught there for over a decade. 

Although she loves her job, she says she never planned on becoming an educator. 

“Both my parents were educators and so I swore I would never go into teaching. And so, you know, you make plans and God laughs. And so that’s where I ended up,” Tims said.

Tims obtained her culinary arts and hospitality management degree at Sullivan University in Louisville, Kentucky.

“I was in the industry for a very long time, and as I got older, the nights and the weekends and the holidays got a little bit tougher. And so I was trying to think of a way –  how could I still do what I loved but still maybe have a little bit of a life as well. And so I thought maybe teaching would be a way to be able to do that,” Tims said.

Her favorite thing about being an educator is forming relationships with her students and maintaining them even after they graduate. 

“Just watching how they grow and prosper and how they will still reach out and ask for advice, you know, whether it will be life or ‘Hey, do you still have that recipe that we made’ however many years ago. Things like that. Just staying in contact and building those relationships years after they graduate,” Tims said.

Her biggest challenge as an educator is managing time wisely. 

“It seems like there’s just never enough time to get everything done during the day. We do it and we stay here until all hours sometimes, but just seems like I wish we had more time to do things and be able to dedicate more time to all the students we have,” Tims said.

Tims is now eligible for the Tennessee Education Lottery Educator of the Month award.

To vote for her or any other nominees, go to the Tennessee Education Lottery website.

To nominate an educator for our weekly award, just email us at [email protected].