Each month, our partner school districts submit glowing reviews of our employees, from which we select four employees of the month. We’re pleased to recognize our honorees from May 2022!
Kim Tallent
White County Schools, GA
Kim was nominated by Laura Hall, Principal at Jack P. Nix Elementary School, who wrote: “Kim Tallent has been a dedicated and dependable substitute teacher for Jack P. Nix for many years. She is willing to do anything asked of her, and she is always ready to take on a new challenge. Each day she walks through the doors she says, ‘I’ll do whatever you need me to do, Mrs. Hall.’ Her efforts go above and beyond what is expected. When Kim is in our building, she jumps right in with our staff and participates in school-wide events. This past week, our school hosted Cultural Celebration Night. This event was outside of her duties as a substitute teacher, but she chose to come to school (after school hours) dressed up in an authentic, handmade dress from Africa given to her while visiting the country on a mission trip. Her participation in this event shows me that Kim has a love for the students in our school and has great desires for them to learn new things. I can also count on Kim to be the photographer of our school during big events. She is always sending me pictures of exciting things going on throughout the building for me to post on social media. She is so proud of the efforts of our students and staff. Kim Tallent takes such pride in her work, and she is more than just a substitute teacher that comes and goes. She is a part of us, and we love and appreciate her so much! We can always count on Kim, and we have found a true treasure! We are so blessed she chooses our school to team up with!”
Nicole Probst
Hillsboro School District, OR
Nicole was nominated by Kristina Estrada, Office Manager at Hillsboro Online Academy who wrote: “Nicole came to Hillsboro Online Academy first to fill in for me when I was out a week so I didn’t have the pleasure to work with her, but she agreed to a long-term position for our secretary & I am so glad she did. SHE IS AMAZING! Nicole completed Synergy training to gain access to our database, learned how to maneuver in our LMS, and has taken medication administration training all within the first 3 weeks! She is cordial and so nice to our families on the phone. If she doesn’t know how to help them, she takes their information and searches for the answer and gets back to them as soon as she can. She has mastered our attendance reports and is building great relationships with the families and kids that come into our building or call on the phone. Nicole has also helped streamline a few processes – like our attendance reporting – and has had great ideas for reorganizing our space! It has been a TRUE JOY working with her because of her organization, quickness of learning procedures/processes, and capability, I realize how much easier my job is because of her! I don’t want her to leave!”
Sandra Tarbet
Frisco ISD, TX
Sandra was nominated by Jennifer Eckart, AP Secretary at Wester Middle School, who wrote: “Ms. Tarbet is a former teacher on our campus. Since her retirement, she has been faithfully subbing at and serving the students at Wester Middle School. Ms. Tarbet is currently serving in a long-term sub position at Wester and is truly going above and beyond the call of duty. We had a long-term sub in the position, but she had to leave for a personal reason. Ms. Tarbet answered the call and is in the position for the last 21 days of school. Our students in that class have been trying to keep up with their assignments, but it has been difficult with all the back and forth that comes with not having a consistent teacher. Once Ms. Tarbet swooped in, she has worked tirelessly to get those students back on track. She has come in before school for tutorials, stayed after school for tutorials, and pulled students during our advisory class to get them caught up. She has only been here two weeks and already has received four letters of appreciation from 6th grade students during teacher appreciation week. Ms. Tarbet is more than deserving of ESS’s Employee of the Month. We feel very lucky to have Ms. Tarbet serve this campus and our students.”
Tia Beaulieu
Alpine School District, UT
Tia was nominated by Heather Jensen, Principal at Black Ridge Elementary School, who wrote: “Tia is an amazing substitute! I KNOW that we would have been in some very dire situations this year if it hadn’t been for her. She has done two long-term subbing jobs for us this year, and has gone well beyond the expectations for a sub. She has stayed late to meet with team members of the same team so that she knows what to do. She has created lesson plans on occasion when we have had a last-minute situation arise. This year, she has subbed for a teacher on maternity leave, but the situation became more than we had originally planned for when the teacher’s baby ended up with health complications. Tia immediately made herself available to take the class for a period of time that started before the expected sub date. As this teacher has needed additional time with her baby, Tia has been very flexible and available so that continuity could continue in the classroom. She has handled some tough kids this year in this class as it is a sixth grade classroom. Even though she may have had a hard day with the kids, she has never dropped a job or refused to come back. She has been a lifesaver for the teacher out on maternity leave. Tia has developed wonderful relationships with all members of our school staff, and if no-one knew, she seems like a regular part of our school community and staff. She works almost exclusively for our school, and we love and appreciate her. She is more than deserving of being recognized as the Employee of the Month. We have had many, many subs in our school, and I have NEVER met anyone so committed to a job. She is obviously invested in the kids. In short, she is amazing!”