Timmi Tanner is a resource reading and study skills teacher who joined the Santa Fe High staff in 2023. ”I love the diversity of people, ideas, and cultures present here,” they said.

Timmi, or Teacher Timmi*, as they like to be called, enjoys getting to know students and figuring out how to help them feel safe and make them know they belong in their classroom. They enjoy teaching because they love showing up every day and caring about others and their experiences, both good and bad. They like to care and show empathy.

Originally from New Jersey, Timmi spent their childhood in eastern Tennessee, came of age in central Illinois, and spent most of their adulthood on the northside of Chicago. Timmi earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Marketing and a masters degree in Sustainable Leadership and Change; both from Judson University in Elgin, IL. They said they are considering returning to school here at UNM-ABQ in the future.

Timmi shared that when they were in high school, there was no LGBTQIA2S+ clubs for students. “We just didn’t have language or understanding of each other’s differences in the 1990s,” they said, adding, “there has never been a safer and healthier time in history for each of us to be our true selves.”

Teacher Timmi is so thankful for the diversity that we share in this community. But what would they like to encourage students of Santa Fe High to do better? They replied with a quote by Thich Nhat Hanh: “To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.”

They continued, “High school is such an incredible time of life as you continue growing out of childhood and into adulthood. Enjoy the journey! Remember: the adults are just older children. We are each also still growing and becoming, right here with you.”

In their free time, Timmi likes to play outside, meet new people, and sit on porches. “When I’m doing these things, I feel present in my body and fully alive,” they said, “happy like a wet plant in the warm sun.” 

*Their pronouns are they/them/elle. Timmi knows that students often show respect by saying “Yes, sir” and “Yes, ma’am,” but they feel more respected when they are just called “Timmi” or “Teacher Timmi.”