Smiling pots with succulents, plant-themed borders and cutouts of flowers and cacti greet Jessica Arroyo’s students as they walk into the classroom, promising a day full of learning and personal growth. Every day in the classroom, Arroyo spends her time advocating for and supporting children facing both mental and physical challenges. As a special education teacher, Arroyo acts as a guide for students with disabilities, teaching them a variety of skills so that when they enter the world independently, they are equipped to succeed.
“I’m always a listening ear for them,” Arroyo said. “They know that they can come to me for anything.”
Arroyo obtained her bachelor degree in education from the State University of New York at New Paltz in 2012 and her master’s degree in education from National University in 2021.
In the mornings, Arroyo starts the day with a meeting, a workout routine for her students and a daily check-in. Every day, she tries to weave in a life-skills lesson, preparing her students to handle complex situations they may encounter in daily life.
“I’m teaching them life skills … something that they can use in the community so they can succeed,” Arroyo said.
Arroyo also teaches math every other day through in-person experiences. For example, Arroyo occasionally takes her students grocery shopping to demonstrate budgeting skills they can apply to real-life situations. Arroyo’s lessons are geared towards her students’ Individualized Education Program goals. IEP allows students to get an education that is best tailored to helping them succeed in an academic setting. Arroyo rotates between three modified classes, primarily teaching math.
In addition to math, she covers other subjects, including government and economics.
“[Government is] something I didn’t think I would ever be teaching, but I’m really enjoying it right now … especially with the election,” Arroyo said.
Arroyo is no stranger to being a support system to students. She served as a substitute teacher from 2012 to 2015 at Saugerties Central Schools, as well as a preschool teacher at Magic Hours Preschool from 2017 to 2019 after moving to California. Later, she spent time as a substitute teacher within the Poway Unified School District until 2021, then worked as a special education teacher at Poway High School before she joined the school.
“Just being in all the different classrooms and just experiencing … all the different grade levels and ages, it just made me fall in love with teaching,” Arroyo said. “Since I was a little girl, I have [wanted] to be a teacher.”
Here at the school, Arroyo feels that her kids are both “accepted and appreciated.” Beyond what the school provides to her students, Arroyo also feels that the students give back to her.
“It means everything,” Arroyo said. “It just makes me feel really good … it’s nice knowing I’m making a difference in their lives.”
Arroyo does not just incorporate workouts into her classroom; she also includes them in her daily life. Arroyo has a passion for exercise, and sometimes even plays pickleball. She taught fitness classes for 12 years — including cycling for over 10 years, and group fitness classes through the company “Les Mills” while living in New York City — and enjoys taking weight classes, as well as hiking.
Whether she is adventuring in the outdoors or teaching in the classroom, Arroyo maintains the same positive demeanor in life.
“I try to always be positive or have a positive outlook [on] everything,” Arroyo said. “If there’s something negative that happens, I always say … something good has to come of that.”
It is the same loving and positive outlook that fuels Arroyo’s hopes for her students,
“[I want them] just to belong in the community … and know how to get by and survive,” Arroyo said.
