Administrator Spotlight

Dr. Taryn Echols, Assistant Superintendent, Hot Springs School District

Dr. Taryn Echols, Assistant Superintendent at Hot Springs School District, says she absolutely did NOT want to become an educator. "My major in college was Biology and my original plan was to be a pharmaceutical sales representative," she says. "One sales job in the copier business and three months of door-to-door sales made me change my mind quickly and travel the pathway of alternative certification." From there, teaching became her passion, and she is now completing her fifteenth year in education, with ten of those as an educational leader. She states, "I have served in just about every role you can think of! I started off as a 7th-grade science teacher in Carrollton, Texas, then moved to Watson Chapel to teach alongside my husband who coached there. I have served as an assistant principal for grades 5-6 and 7-9, principal for grades K-4 and 9-12, and currently serve as assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. I have done some adjunct teaching for Harding University in their Educational Leadership Department as well."

Dr. Echols says her favorite thing about her job is the ability to impact students’ lives at a high level and getting to watch their progression over the years. She says, "I get the most joy from watching emerging readers become confident readers. The power we have as educators is truly unmatched. We are given the gift of shaping students into the best versions of themselves and that is a sparkle you can’t find anywhere else." One of the most challenging parts of her job is seeing the struggle some students and families face. "It motivates me to have the courage to stand up for all students, provide opportunities for families to build confident children, and look for innovative ways to support educating our students." The biggest change she's seen over her career is the focus on collaboration through the professional learning community process. "I have championed this work well before I knew it had a name. Beyond test scores, schools have to build a solid foundation of collaboration in order to make informed decisions to best support students. Schools should be filled with laughter, fun, and a desire to provide outstanding experiences for our students."

In the future she sees herself continuing to serve the educational needs of families and supporting the needs of teachers and leaders, saying "I am a true believer in walking in faith. A title, location, or position won’t dictate who I am or what I do. Leadership is action and I believe in five years, I will still be leading and loving what I do.” She advises those embarking on a similar career path: "All roses don’t bloom the same way... If you truly believe in your leadership capacity, bloom where you are planted, whether that is classroom teacher, interventionist, or coach. Leadership doesn’t require a title, it requires a service."

Q&A! with Dr. Taryn Echols

What is the best advice you have ever received? I have two! “Do not let your worry be louder than your worship.” “If we do the little things like they are big things, then God will do the big things like they are little things.”

What is the most daring thing you’ve done? The most daring thing I have done is get a puppy this year for my family. I am not an animal person at all! My children have begged for a puppy for the last three years and I finally found the perfect addition. He is a 4- month-old cockapoo named Ace. Surprisingly, I really do love him and he prefers me most because I give the best belly rubs!

What is one of the things on your “Bucket List?” I would love to write a book. Experiences, in my opinion, outweigh years of experience. I have so many varied experiences to share and I think that doing that through writing would serve more who might share those same experiences.

If you weren’t in your current position, what would you be doing? I would be a photographer or an educational consultant. I love meeting new people, sharing ideas, and coaching them into the best versions of themselves. I’m actually working on both of these as backup plans :-)

When people look back at your life, how do you want to be remembered? I want to be remembered as someone who served, led with compassion, and loved what she did. People are replaceable, but legacies are not. I want to leave a legacy of transformation, “Mediocre leaders maintain, intentional leaders improve, but TOP leaders transform.”

What do you see as the biggest benefit of AAEA membership? Personally, I think that it provides relationship building and networking. I have met some of my best friends through AAEA. There are so many individuals that I highly respect and I would have never in my wildest dreams believed that I would serve on committees with them or even be asked to sit at the table with them. My goal is to encourage other leaders, especially those in underrepresented areas to join AAEA to share their talents and learn from others. If I am only impacting those around me, I am not truly living my purpose.