Economics Teacher Mr. Chris Hellums Coaches Success

Julianna Patterson, Dreamcatcher Assistant Editor| September 8, 2022

Photo Courtesy of Chris Hellums

When he’s not coaching Men’s Soccer or teaching Economics, Mr. Chris Hellums spends time with his family, and attends Austin FC games.

Mr. Chris Hellums has always loved soccer and teaching. Combining his passions and his career, he has decided to teach Economics and coach soccer at Westwood. While this year will be Mr. Hellums first year teaching at Westwood, it is far from his first at Westwood, as a Westwood alumni who graduated from Canyon Vista Middle School and Caraway Elementary.

Mr. Hellums love of teaching began when he lived in Oman, on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. While there, he traveled and taught through parts of Asia.

“It was an opportunity to travel and experience a part of the world I’ve never been,” Mr. Hellums said. “It was my first experience [with] teaching and I really fell in love with this job.”

After graduating from Westwood, Mr. Hellums went to Rice University and got his bachelor’s degree in economics, before attending the University of Texas and earning his master’s degree in education. He previously taught at Navarro High School for 10 years.

“I moved to New York to work for a retailer called Steve and Barry’s. I was a business analyst for them, [but] within six months I lost my job because they were going out of business,” Mr. Hellums said. “I found teaching from there.”

In addition to teaching Economics, Mr. Hellums is also the head coach for boys soccer. He is a member of Austin FC and a supporter of Liverpool FC. He also has a US Soccer B license.

“I go to most [Austin FC] games, I have season tickets,” Mr. Hellums said. “My best friend and I bought the tickets together so we have seats next to each other.”

Mr. Hellums is a big advocate for classroom culture, equity, and treating everyone respectfully. He encourages his students to do the same.

“I think teaching is about creating a positive learning environment where everybody can feel safe and comfortable with learning with each other,” Mr. Hellums said. “I like to think I can [encourage my students to] ask some of the right questions and learn effectively as a class.”

Mr. Hellums is excited for the new school year and the impact he can make in his students’ lives.