Beloved Broomfield teacher bonds with students over unique Garfield collection

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Jun. 6—Thanks to the wise words of her 7-year-old son over a decade ago, this Broomfield teacher spent the last 14 years making connections with the help of an iconic orange cat.

Prospect Ridge Academy's elementary teacher Christina Jackson, who retired in May, will be dearly missed, colleagues said, not only for her dedication to her students but for her unique collection of Garfield memorabilia. The assortment of orange cartoon cat trinkets that she amassed over 14 years of teaching helped foster connections with dozens of students.

After a 15-year career in biotech, Jackson decided she needed more stability than the layoff-prone industry was offering her. While she pursued a master's degree in adult education to switch industries into manufacturing training, she discovered that wasn't quite the right fit either.

"As soon as I finished (my adult education degree), I promptly decided I would rather teach children instead, much to my husband's dismay," Jackson said.

She said it only took one day of working as a substitute second-grade teacher to decide her new path. Although teaching elementary students meant more time spent in college, she chose to stick to what she was passionate about.

"I always joke that after already having a master's in education, it took four years of additional education to be highly qualified to teach 7 year olds," Jackson said.

With her additional education behind her, Jackson was ready to begin teaching at Prospect Ridge Academy in the fall of 2011, but she was still missing something important.

"My youngest son was going into third grade that year, and he asked me what my 'thing' was going to be," Jackson said. "He said that all elementary teachers have to have a 'thing,' like a favorite color or animal so kids can draw you pictures or bring you gifts to go with your 'thing.'"

After some thinking about what her "thing" was going to be, Jackson said she remembered that the iconic cartoon cat Garfield and her shared a birthday — June 19. She mentioned her connection to the cat to her students, but it wasn't until three years later that a student brought her the first item that would begin her Garfield collection.

Now, as she retires from her teaching career, Jackson has amassed a collection of over 50 pieces of Garfield memorabilia, including coffee mugs, slippers, plush toys, blankets and dozens of drawings from students. The items in her collection are almost entirely gifts from students, meaning each piece of the collection holds a special memory and serves as an homage to the connection between Jackson and her students.

"It was clear from (Jackson's) first day of teaching that she had the knack for management and nuance that comes with teaching," Prospect Ridge Principal April Wilkin said. "She always applied so much determination to making a difference for kids."

Wilkin said Jackson remains the best she's ever seen at forming relationships with students and parents, and that the Garfield collection serves as a starting point for many of those connections.

"When teachers showcase a part of themselves back to students, it makes them more relatable, it helps form a stronger connection," Wilkin said. "I've seen her passion for Garfield become an inroad for so many students to feel an even stronger connection with her as a teacher ... We have to show students a glimpse of who we are as people, because that's what we are. We're all just people around each other trying to grow and learn together, and I think she's done that in a really remarkable way."

Nora Bruxvoort is 20 now, but can still attest to the impact of Jackson and her collection from the time she spent as one of her students in second grade.

"I remember the Garfield collection as always being really fun, it was fun to see a teacher that had something to make them stand out," Bruxvoort said. "She had this fun interest in the classroom that she could connect with kids over."

Bruxvoort is now going into her third year of pursuing a degree in environmental engineering — a passion she said Jackson helped foster.

"She was one of the early advocates for me pursuing science, because in her classroom, she always encouraged kids to find the area in school that got them super excited," Bruxvoort said.

Jackson has influenced dozens of students just like Bruxvoort, all with Garfield by her side as her loyal "thing" — helping her connect with students in ways she wouldn't have otherwise.

"It was just fun to start with, but it's taken on a life of its own over the years," Jackson said. "There are so many connections that go with the collection, and I wouldn't have those stories if I didn't have a 'thing' like Garfield."

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