EVANS, Ga (WJBF) – Taylor Thompson is more than just an outstanding teacher. She’s an outstanding peer. She’s taking on a new role this year as an Instructional Specialist at Evans High School.

“An Instructional Specialist just really supports the teachers in our building,” Thompson says. “Helping them get access to the resources they need, and address any questions they have about best practices in teaching and how to run their classroom.”

That means helping educators implement new approaches in the classroom.

“One thing our county is working on right now is focusing on student engagement and strategies to help our students feel like they’re part of the learning, and not just being taught.”

Before she was named an Instructional Specialist, Ms. Thompson spent 6 years as a Math teacher here.

“I had some really great teachers when I was in elementary school who happened to love Math most out of their subjects, and I think that helped me get here. I have always loved Math and so that’s what I decided to pursue when I decided what I wanted to teach.”

Ms. Thompson is all about helping students reach their full potential, in and out of her classroom.

“One thing that I can think of that stands out as a reward to me, was a student who didn’t think she could make it through my class and started to pursue some other options. But ultimately she decided to stay. She thought the classroom environment was great for her, and was encouraging enough that she started to believe she could do it. And we saw ultimately she had great success in the class, and it helped pave the path forward for her when she went to college.”

And as this new year gets underway, you high school parents need to remember that you still play a huge role in your child’s academic performance.

“Check in with your students about how school is going,” she says. “Help with a little bit of accountability at home, but in a way that’s encouraging. Reach out to partner with the teacher when you can, to think what are the things that we can do to make the situation better.”