Teacher Feature-Mary Tumlin-A Busy Person

There is an old saying, “If you want something done, ask a busy person.” Our Teacher Feature this month, Mary Tumlin, Jasper County Middle School teacher, is the epitome of this quote.

She wears many hats these days. One of these hats is her main job as computer science teacher for the sixth through eighth grade. One hundred seventy-five students a day attend her classes.

“This course is required for each student all three years of middle school, so I actually teach every student in middle school.”

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Another hat she wears is teaching a class on newsletters where students produce the monthly, JCMS Press, and mail a copy to the home of each student and post it on the school website to keep parents and the community informed on what is happening at school.

Three years ago, Mrs. Tumlin began the first chapter of Jasper County Middle School Future Business Leaders of America. Currently, there are 42 members who attend school-based meetings, attend five off-campus events during the year, and participate in community service in Jasper County. Mrs. Tumlin organizes and attends all of these activities.

With her background in technology, it is no wonder that 12 years ago she started to sponsor the Technology Fair Competition. Students create their own projects to compete in the state-wide Georgia Educational Technology Consortium.

Mrs. Tumlin is homegrown, attending Piedmont Academy from kindergarten to graduation in 1984. Four years later, she graduated from Georgia College in Milledgeville receiving her bachelor’s degree, then receiving her Master’s degree in education four years later at the University of Georgia. In college she never lived on campus; she commuted every school day from Jasper County.

She said she has worked every day since the eleventh grade, first with her mother at downtown Monticello’s Security Finance as a part-time cashier, and continuing to work there through college and afterwards; she was promoted to branch manager.

While there she met a retired teacher who kept persuading her to apply for the business education position at Jasper County High School vacated by long time teacher, Sandra Parham.

“I went for an interview and was hired to work at the middle school instead. I began to teach on a provisional teaching certificate, returning to the University of Georgia for a Master’s degree in Business Education with a teaching certificate,” said Mrs. Tumlin.

She is celebrating her 13th year at JCMS.

Her computer business class for sixth graders includes teaching them typing skills and Microsoft word software. Seventh and eighth graders continue to learn more software and how it is used in a business setting.

Her community involvement stems from her desire to help her students to have a full life. She can be found “working the gate” at all the Jasper County Hurricane home games where she sees many of her students both present and past.

Each day she directs school buses on Post Road and is a qualified judge at the yearly “Bus Roadeo.”

Her skill at never saying “No” has led her into some other interesting facets of her life including being a volunteer firefighter for Jasper County Fire Services in Hillsboro, being co-coordinator of the annual Deer Festival Pageant, and as director of children’s events at Monticello’s First United Methodist Church.

She and her husband, Matt Tumlin, Jasper County High School math teacher and golf coach, met, where else, at school. Married in 2003, they decided to remodel her grandmother’s house in Hillsboro and took residence there in 2008. Her daughter, Jordana, is a sophomore at the University of West Georgia, majoring in psychology.

Mrs. Tumlin is the daughter of Fronie and G. B. Turner. She has two sisters, Betsy and Jackie, who are both educators.

How Mrs. Tumlin is able to balance her time between all her activities is her firm commitment to giving back to Jasper County and the students. She was chosen as the 2012 Teacher of the Year for the Jasper County school system.

Thank you, Mary, for always saying yes to your community and students. You are a shining star that many admire.