Special Education teacher Jessica Saum of Arkansas has been named her state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: Cabot Public Schools
It is always wonderful when a deserving educator is honored for their work in the classroom. Today, I’ll share the story of one such educator: Jessica Saum of Little Rock, Arkansas. She has been named her state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year.
Jessica teaches special education to kindergarteners through fourth graders in a self-contained classroom at Stagecoach Elementary School in Cabot, Arkansas. Before her employment at Cabot Public Schools, Jessica taught for one year at Jacksonville North Pulaski School District.
The honored educator confesses that serving as a special needs teacher is her passion. “Every child deserves what’s best,” she declares. “Every child deserves an opportunity to succeed, and every child deserves for us to expect them to do great things,” she continues. In her classroom, Jessica delivers a curriculum that emphasizes experiential learning, inclusion, and community involvement.
In addition to her work in the classroom, Jessica leads professional development workshops that promote exposure to grade-level curriculum and meaningful relationships with experienced educators.
Also, Jessica is nationally published, and her work extends to supporting military families, detailing how educators can support these families during deployments and difficult transitions.
As if all that were not enough, Jessica serves as the advisor for the Kiwanis Kids Club, an organization that organizes student participation in service projects. She volunteers as a Key Spouse at the Little Rock Air Force Base and is the 2020 314th Airlift Wing Key Spouse of the Year. She is a Fellow of both the Arkansas State Teacher Association Senior Advocacy and the Association of American Educators Advocacy. As if all that were not enough,, Jessica is a member of the United through Reading Literacy Advisory Council and a Special Advisor to the Arkansas Council for Military Children.
Jessica earned her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood and Special Education in 2011 and her Master’s degree in Grades 4-12 Special Education in 2016, both from Arkansas State University. In December 2020, she completed the requirements for her Special Education Director certificate.