10/14/2026
“When I went to Glendale High School, I started A+ tutoring in my junior year. My counselor at the time, Ms. Fitzpatrick, told me she thought I would be great with special education and asked me to work in the resource room. I agreed and when I started, I LOVED it. I knew within weeks that this is what I wanted to do for a living. I loved seeing their progress, I loved getting to interact with them and, even as a kid, I felt like I was making a difference. I got to be their friend, and it was so meaningful. I did this throughout my whole junior and senior year, and it just solidified that this is what I wanted to do. I even had first block off and would still come into school to help in the SPED room because I loved it that much. I can not thank Ms. Fitzpatrick enough for rearing my life in the right direction. The opportunities at SPS changed my life.
I chose SPS because I’ve always heard great things about the special education department and I had those great experiences during my tutoring experiences and again while student teaching. I knew SPS does what is best for kids and puts kids’ needs first — I wanted to be a part of that. I worked in functional skills at a junior high in another district for 15 years, but moving to SPS four years ago was the best decision I’ve ever made in my career by far. Now I teach K-5 cross category and I love getting to be a part of a team that genuinely cares about kids and their progress. I love teaching elementary and getting to impact these little minds for life. Again, it’s the best decision I ever made.
I love getting to see the same students all six years of their elementary education and see them grow up and progress over time. It is so fulfilling. My favorite memories are when I see so much progress in students reading over the course of a school year. I had one student that raised one and a half grade levels in a year last year and overcame his struggles with reading. Seeing him persevere was one of the most rewarding things in my 19 years working in education. The collaboration between the SPED department and the general education teacher speaks volumes to not just this student, but to all of our Watkins Wildcats. We work as a team to reach ALL kids and to see students improve. It’s amazing to see their confidence bloom.”
- Tamara Jackson, special education teacher at Watkins Elementary
