At the True Measure Collaborative (TMC), we know that inclusive education is built by educators who are willing to stretch, reflect, and keep showing up for students. For Jaime Tobin, Paterson’s K–8 Special Education teacher, that commitment has defined her transition from nearly 20 years in general education to three years of deep growth in Special Education.
Jaime’s career began in second grade classrooms in California before moving into fourth and sixth grade roles in Washington. By every external marker, she was thriving. But something inside nudged her toward a new challenge.
“I needed to see if I still could grow,” she recalls.
When she noticed a Special Education opening in a small rural district in Washington, she didn’t see herself in the role at first. But the idea stayed with her. With encouragement from the principal, she stepped toward something unfamiliar, completed her endorsement, and began a new chapter at Paterson School District.
Learning to Begin Again
Despite her extensive experience in General Education, Jaime describes her first year in Special Education with honesty:
“In year one, I just didn’t even know what I didn’t know.”
New systems, IEP processes, data collection, family meetings — everything required new skills, new lenses, and new kinds of decisions. There were days she wondered whether she had made the right move. But she kept asking questions, kept seeking support from TMC coaches, and kept choosing growth.
And through it all, one thing anchored her: the students.
There is always one particular student…
There is always one particular student in every educator’s career who leaves a lasting impact — the kind of student who teaches you as much as you teach them.
For Jaime, that student arrived in her first year at Paterson.
Their relationship started with struggles. Progress was slow, trust was fragile, and nothing seemed to move forward. But Jaime stayed.
As she puts it, “I just kept showing up.”
She stayed through resistance, through hard days, through moments when the student pushed back or shut down. Over time, the consistent presence became the foundation of their connection.
This year, everything looks different
The student now constantly asks her mom, “Can you please call Miss Tobin?” She has made so much growth that the team recently had to consider whether she still qualified for writing services.
Jaime smiles when she shares this story: “I’m excited to see where we can go together.”
Becoming the Educator Paterson Needed
As the only Special Education teacher in her building, Jaime also took on the work of helping colleagues understand what Special Education truly requires, not intervention, not tutoring, but specially designed instruction rooted in student needs.
With support from TMC coaches Micheal Williams and Amanda Pharis, she found affirmation and direction.
They helped her see she was on the right track,” as Jaime puts it, “That mattered a lot.”
Together, they worked to build stronger collaboration with paraeducators and general education teachers, so students receive aligned instruction even when Jaime isn’t the one delivering it.
“Intelligence comes in all forms.”
When asked what she wishes more educators remembered, Jaime is clear:
“Intelligence comes in all forms.”
She reminds us that students bring strengths that don’t always appear on tests and that inclusion is about finding ways to make every child feel capable and valued.
“I try to figure out how to find the little ways to make them feel great about what they’re doing,” she says.
At TMC, we see Jaime’s story as a powerful example of what it means to commit to growth, to embrace challenges, and to build relationships that endure. Her journey from General Education to Special Education is more than a career transition. It’s a testament to what becomes possible when educators lead with patience, curiosity, and a belief in every student’s potential.
Jaime’s three years at Paterson reflect what we believe at TMC: inclusion grows when educators keep showing up, especially on the hard days, and when every student knows there is someone in their corner.