Gainesville native Tiffany Thames wouldn’t trade her career for anything.
As a special education teacher at Howard Bishop Middle School, she works with a group of about 15 students from the first day of sixth grade through their eighth-grade graduation — an arrangement that gives her something most teachers never experience.
“I see them in sixth grade when they come in and they don’t know a ton, and then when they get ready to leave in eighth grade, it’s wonderful,” Thames said. “They’re reading, or they’re writing, or they’re talking. It’s a growth over a three-year period that most teachers don’t get to see.”
That growth can be remarkable, Thames told The Sun. She recalled one nonverbal student who arrived in sixth grade unable to communicate but, by graduation, could say the names of adults in the classroom and independently ask to use the bathroom. She credits her students’ progress to the consistency, hard work and dedication of her and her team.
She’s supported by four paraprofessionals who share the workload and give each student the individual attention they need.
Thames adapts her lessons to meet students where they are, finding creative ways to cover required academic standards while also building practical, real-world skills. Recent lessons have included students building budgets using restaurant menus and designing their own planets after a months-long unit on the solar system.
The most challenging part of the job, she said, is its unpredictability. Some students have behavioral or medical needs that can change day to day.
“You don’t ever know what you’re getting when they walk in,” she said. “Are you going to have a good day? Are you going to have a medical episode? You kind of just have to take it minute by minute sometimes.”
Howard Bishop Principal James Speer said Thames never misses a day of work and often arrives early.
“Nothing comes before the students that she works with,” he said. “She cares about and treats each of those 15 kids as if they were her own.”
He added that Thames extends that care to the paraprofessionals who work alongside her, buying matching shirts for her team and putting together gift bags to recognize their contributions.
Thames is no stranger to hard work. She earned her bachelor’s degree and two master’s degrees while simultaneously raising her son, supporting her mother through chemotherapy and working full time. Being recognized for that dedication, she said, feels good — but the job has always been its own reward.
“It’s fun to be recognized and appreciated,” she said, “and that people see the hard work that we actually do in the school system.”
She was awarded HBMS’s Teacher of the Year in 2024.
— The Amazing Teacher program, sponsored by Florida Credit Union in partnership with The Gainesville Sun, is a celebration of educators whose compassion, creativity and dedication inspire us all. Local teachers are selected monthly. They are recognized locally and are eligible for national level recognition and prizes. These stories are produced by the newsroom. Do you know an amazing teacher? Nominating one is easy. Just visit gainesville.gannettcontests.com/Florida-Credit-Union-Amazing-Teachers
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida Credit Union Amazing Teacher of the month: Tiffany Thames
Reporting by Chelsea Long, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
