CAIRO — During her long career as an educator in the Cairo and Thomasville school systems, Tilda Brimm tried to have an impact on her students’ lives.

She gets confirmation of that each time she goes to a football game or somewhere else in public.

“I will miss impacting students,” said Brimm, who ended her 31-year career on Friday. “There is nowhere I go, in Cairo or Thomasville, that I don’t see the students that I have taught, that I have led as an an assistant principal and as a principal.

“And just being able to, when I see them, ask them how they are doing, did you get your education? Most often the students will tell me, ‘Ms. Brimm, you were a game-changer.’ That means all the world to me. When we go to the games here in Cairo, we can barely get to our seats, we are stopped about 50 times. It is going to be a different world.”

Brimm, who spent the last few years as an assistant superintendent in charge of public relations and the English to Speakers of Other Languages program, plans to move to the Atlanta area next summer for family reasons.

Her fiancee works in McDonough. Her son, Richard, took a position as a football coach at Dutchtown High, which is in Hampton. Her daughter, Iris, is heading into her senior year at West Georgia in Carrollton.

“I think 31 years is plenty,” Brimm said. “I have been thinking that this is a good time for retirement.”

Grady County Schools Superintendent Dr. Kermit Gilliard Jr. will miss his friend.

“I will miss her smile and reassurances that we are moving in the right direction,” he said. “I will also miss our candid conversations. She has many community connections that helped us as we made important decisions, especially this past year with COVID. I will miss seeing my friend daily.”

One regret

Brimm certainly made her mark as an assistant principal, principal and finally as an assistant superintendent, but it was her 17 years as a teacher that she enjoyed the most.

“I lost my husband in 2007 and so I became the sole provider for my family,” Brimm said. “I had the leadership certification and I started inquiring (into administrative jobs) and I left the classroom.

“That has been somewhat of a regret for me. It is not that I didn’t enjoy being a principal, but I enjoyed teaching more. There is something about being with young people that’s so fulfilling for you when you are teaching, building knowledge and skills in them.

“But it is also beneficial for you as a person in all kinds of way. You are challenged  to know what is going on, to stay up on technology, latest fashions, latest songs, latest in curriculum. you want to find ways to reach the students.”

Greatest achievement

Brimm said her greatest work was done at Washington Middle School.

“It started when I was the assistant principal with Dr. (Kermit) Gilliard. We had the vision that we were going to change the culture of that school, We went in there with that mentality,” Brimm said.

“When we got there, all events were held off campus. We brought all events back to the building. And we worked hard to establish a good order, so we established rituals and routines for the children. So that it would be easy for them to stay in line with the rules and regulations. 

“We changed the school’s climate. and we changed the community’s perception. When I went there, it was a 2-star school. When I left as a principal, it was a 5-star school. So the perception of the community had changed drastically because a 5-star is the highest you can get.”

Early influences

Brimm decided to teach English because of her third-grade teacher, Mrs. McKenzie. Brimm would take what she learned and return home to teach her brothers and sisters.

“I have had a love for everyone of my English teachers,” Brimm said. “It would stand to reason that when I decided to go into education, one of my focuses would be English.”

But it was elementary school band director, Joe David III, who had the greatest impact on Brimm’s life.

“He instilled in us, pride, discipline, respect for ourselves and respect for others and a sense of team,” Brimm said. “He also set a standard of excellence that we didn’t doubt that we should live up to it, it was an obligation to live up to it.

“It has been with me my entire life. His motto was ‘If it is to be, it is up to me.’ When I begin an endeavor and I want to change stuff, I take everything on my shoulders.”

Change of direction

Even with those influences, Brimm thought about going into politics, majoring in political science. 

But while she was taking a foreign language class at Valdosta State University, Brimm was required to go to the local schools and work with students.

“In doing so, I just loved it. The students migrated to me. I enjoyed it,” Brimm said. “All the things I learned as a young girl came back to me. When I finished up that semester, I went in to the school of education and applied.”

Although she describes herself as “Cairo through and through,” Brimm started her career in Thomasville at MacIntyre Park and later taught fifth grade at Douglass. After a stint at Washington Middle School in Cairo, Brimm returned to MacIntyre.

It was her son, Richard, who convinced her to return to Cairo for good.

“My son was playing soccer and we went to play Cairo. We were in our red and gold. and while we were waiting for the game to begin, here came the Syrupmakers in red and black,” she said. “My son leaned over, he was maybe 10 or 11, ‘I want to go home, mom. I want to be a Syrupmaker.’

“At the end of that year, I came back and have been here ever since.”

Trailblazer

Brimm also inspired young girls outside the classroom.

“When we were coming up, there weren’t any Black majorettes,” said Brimm, who attended Cairo High in the late 1970s. “I had a friend, Ada Copeland, who was training to be a majorette. I found a baton and started twirling with her everyday. Ada became the first Black girl to be on the Cairo High majorette line. I became (Washington Middle School’s) head majorette.

“At end of my 10th grade year, I became the first Black girl to become the featured twirler — still the only Black girl in that position. It means a lot.

“In life, you don’t know how something will influence people. Over the years, I have been able to train girls how to twirl. I have used that platform to teach the girls discipline, self-control, respect, grace and precision.

“Some of the girls have told me it changed the trajectory of their life.”

Kevin Price can be reached at 229-226-2400, ext. 1820