(Staff Member of the Month is voted on by Panther Press students.)
This month’s Staff Member of the Month goes to Mrs. Tracy Tidmore, Collinsville's High School Counselor.
Panther Press reporter Liz Guzman sat down with Mrs. Tidmore to learn more about her.
LG: What influenced you into becoming a school counselor?
Mrs. Tidmore: Helping people has always been my passion, like I love making people feel better. I've dealt with a lot of things in my life over the years especially when I was younger that I had to see the school counselor a lot. She made a big impact on me.
LG: Do you mind sharing what might be a DUI counselor?
Mrs. Tidmore: I currently work as a counselor for a place called Recovery Services. They service adults in Marshall County, Dekalb, Cherokee and Madison city. I work with adults who have been arrested. Some of them are not in jail currently but some of them are. I do recover groups that focus on making better decisions in life. Things that just help them learn how to live life without using any substances.
LG: Have you ever considered switching into a different career?
Mrs. Tidmore: Well, I have taught. I was actually a teacher for 19 years, and I loved that job because I had the chance to be around a lot of different kids and I’ve done all grade levels. I started with special ED, K-3, and when I came to Collinsville in 1998 I started with 4th through 6th grade for several years. Then I came up with the middle school and then eventually got up with highschool and earned my English certification. I also got my counseling degree along the way.
LG: Was there any point in your life where you had worked as school counselor at a different school?
Mrs. Tidmore: Yes, I was at Ider my first year and then came to Collinsville and stayed here until 2019. I went to Crossville middle school as one of their middle school counselors and then I came back this year. I'm happy to be back home.
LG: Are there any challenges you face as a school counselor and if so what may those be?
Mrs. Tidmore: My biggest challenge is I don't feel like I get enough time to be one on one with students, or work with students like I feel like a school counselor should. Because there's testing that we have to do, there's scheduling that we are in charge of. I get to work with kids on that but it's different. There are times where I feel like I can't be everything that I want to be for kids. I still love it, and I still feel like I'm able to make an impact on students and make them feel like they are able to talk to me about anything.
LG: What are some activities that you do out of school?
Mrs. Tidmore: Coach Tidmore and I like to travel a lot. We always try to go somewhere different every summer. We like to go out of the country, go on cruises and go to all inclusive resorts. I also enjoy reading and spending time with my grandkids.
LG: Do you have any TV shows and/or movies you currently enjoy watching?
Mrs. Tidmore: Well, I'm all about the crime junky. I love solving mysteries. TV show wise, I like The Voice, I enjoy A Million Little Things. Recently, I just started watching Alaska Daily. I really like that one.
LG: Do you have a favorite food?
Mrs. Tidmore: I love Mexican food, and I love Italian food
LG: What type of music do you listen to?
Mrs. Tidmore: I love contemporary Christian; that's probably what plays the most on the radio but also enjoy 80s and country.
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