When it comes to his three kids, Dr. Tyler Nelson said their education plays a fundamental role in their raising.
“A good education means the likelihood of a good career,” Nelson said. “A good foundation before college is always good.”
Nelson was recently elected to the Bryant School Board for Zone 1. He replaces former school board member Joe Wishard, who died in January.
“I have thought about [running for the school board] since we sent Maddie — my oldest — back to school,” Nelson said. “I have wanted to run for a while, but I hated the idea of being on the school board without kids in the system.
“We used to live in the Hills [subdivision], but last year we moved to Zone 1, so when Joe passed, I submitted a resume to the administration. …
“… I am excited; it will be a good opportunity. It is something new, but it is a little overwhelming when I actually step into it.”
Nelson said it is a little more of an undertaking than he realized but said it will be “a good challenge.”
“It is very overwhelming, but there is a steep learning curve,” Nelson said. “There is a lot more that goes into it — a lot more than I realized, really.
“I think it will be a good experience and help me be involved and give parents a voice. I want to make sure that good rational decisions are made on the school board.
“All of them probably won’t be the most popular decisions with everybody.”
Nelson was appointed to serve in the seat until the next election in May of this year. Then he will run unopposed to finish out the last year of Wishard’s term. Nelson will then run in May 2019 for a full five-year term.
“With him being a local business owner and a practicing physician, we are always looking for some diversity in the board, as far as their background,” school board president Scott Hart said. “He is very involved in his kids’ life.”
Hart said Nelson is passionate about education.
“He and I have known each other for about 10 years or so, gone to the same church and have run into each other on several occasions,” Hart said. “Tyler is a very humble man. He doesn’t let his education go to his head.”
Hart, who attends Geyer Springs First Baptist Church in Little Rock with Nelson, said Nelson is “very willing to humble himself and ask questions.”
“He is very interested in knowing the language and process that happens within the school district,” Hart said. “He is a funny guy with a great sense of humor.
“He knows how to break the ice when there are tense situations.”
Nelson graduated from Van Buren High School in 1994 and earned his undergraduate degree from Hendrix College in Conway in 1998. He graduated from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock in 2002 and opened the Bryant Medical Clinic in 2005.
“I moved to Arkansas in 1987, when I was 10 years old, but before that, I lived in southern California,” Nelson said. “At the time, my next-door neighbor was a radiologist, and I would go to work with him occasionally.
“As a young kid, that’s what I thought I wanted to do, and I never really wavered on that. I always thought I wanted to do radiology.”
But while going through school, Nelson decided he didn’t want to sit in a dark room and not talk to anybody, but instead wanted a career that was more personable.
“Medicine is a good fit for me,” Nelson said. “I get a lot of time with my wife and kids.”
Nelson and his family recently returned from a trip to Belize in Central America.
“We have been down there twice. I’m trying to go every four or five months to do a clinic,” Nelson said. “My whole family just went with me in February.
“That was pretty enjoyable for me to get to see them have that experience. We are in the process of getting a little clinic building down there.”
Nelson said the citizens in the town he visits have “free health care,” but the access is pretty difficult.
“If they save up enough bus money, they may see a doctor once or twice a year,” Nelson said, “so they have to do without medicine, and there is a lot of diabetes, and hypertension, there.
“My goal is to be able to help that one community. I was down there nine days, but if I start going more regularly, it is probably going to be three to four days at a time.”
Nelson has three children: Maddie, who is in the seventh grade; Owen, who is in the fifth grade; and Wyatt, who is in the fourth. Until two years ago, Nelson’s wife, Emily, home-schooled all three children.
“There really wasn’t any reasoning for us home-schooling,” Nelson said. “Once they got older, we planned on putting them back into school.
“We have been very happy, and the teachers have been great. Academically, I think the Bryant schools are really good, and they push the kids to do their best and do well.”
Nelson said one of the reasons the couple aren’t home-schooling anymore is because of the opportunities that “you don’t necessarily get at home, such as athletics and band.”
Maddie competes in cross country and track, Owen is on the Student Council, and Wyatt is on the archery team that just finished third in the state. Nelson said he was kind of surprised how well his kids adjusted to public school.
“I really thought there would be some [adjustment], but they really took off right away,” Nelson said. “The teachers really brought them up to speed. None of my kids are shy, and they all got plugged in someway.
“On different levels, I think they really enjoy school. … They really do. We don’t have any problems getting them to go to school in the morning. They enjoy it, and they like their teachers.”
Nelson said his family considered private schools, but they “couldn’t find any downside to the Bryant Schools.”
“We just couldn’t find a reason why we should spend the money on private school when we have good schools right here,” Nelson said. “We just didn’t feel like there was a need to send our kids outside of the district because we have a good district right here.”
Staff writer Sam Pierce can be reached at (501) 244-4314 or spierce@arkansasonline.com.