Mr. Keith Helms - Spotlight
By Macy Batchelor, Journalism I
This week, the teacher spotlight is Mr. Keith Helms. He teaches Algebra I, Honors Algebra I, and Accelerated Algebra I. During my interview with Mr. Helms, I had the opportunity to ask him a few questions. The first question was,” Why did you become a teacher?’’ He replied with, ”In high school, I had my mind made up, at least partially, I was either going to be a doctor or a math teacher. That was it. There were no alternatives. While in college, I found myself helping my peers in nearly every math class I took. The feeling of having someone truly understand something after you've taught them is like none other. That instant gratification is hard to replicate in many career fields. It was during this time that I decided to fully dedicate my college career to becoming a math teacher. To this day, that is one of the best decisions I ever made.”
My next question was, ”Why do you teach math?” Mr. Helms said, “ Math was always a subject that I enjoyed, although I didn't always fully understand all the connections between the different concepts. I also recall struggling in math as a young student. I was harder on myself than I needed to be, but there were simple concepts that I remember having a difficult time grasping. I always tell my students this so they realize that I can truly relate to many of their struggles. I knew that if I could teach math in a way that makes sense to students and shows the connections between varying mathematical concepts, then I'd be potentially saving another student from having to go through the same setbacks I experienced at a young age. Once in middle/high school, everything just fell into place and I was able to make the connections to fully understand the different math subjects on a deeper level. It helps that I had phenomenal teachers, many of whom I have the privilege of teaching with today.”
My final question was, ”What is your favorite thing about teaching?” He replied with,” As I said earlier, seeing a student finally understand something is a feeling that is hard to put into words. It's amazing! That's an experience that you simply cannot get in most other professions. Also, it goes without saying that Seminole County is blessed with some outstanding teachers and administrators and getting to work with such an amazing group of people is certainly one of the perks of my job. I couldn't do my job without many of the people I work so well with on a daily basis.” At the end of my interview I told Mr. Helms to tell me things that no one knows about you to which he replied,” My favorite place to spend time when not at school is at the beach with my family. When I retire, or any summer for that matter, that is where you will be able to find me, without a doubt. I also love trying new, and sometimes bizarre, food. Fun fact that I keep from most people for fear of being kicked out of the South...I do not like watermelon!” Thank you, Mr. Helms, for being one of the best teachers at SCMHS. We appreciate everything you do!!! Keep up the good work!!!