Position: Retiring Special Education Teacher
School: Pacific High School
School District: Meramec Valley R3 School District
City, State: Pacific, MO
Music that Describes Frank
Frank Fizpatrick received two nominations from his colleagues, Vanessa Kutz and Nancy Pfeiffer. The following profile contains text from each nomination.
Mr. Fitzpatrick, also known as Fitz, has been a role model and leader for students and staff for 17 years in the Meramec Valley R-III School District. He has served many roles over the past 17 years, from special education teacher, to track and field coach, to instructor for the low incidence/high needs classroom with a focus on intellectual disabilities. Regardless of the role he is serving at the time, he has always done so with compassion, commitment, and extreme character.
Fitz's position is a very challenging one. He typically has anywhere from 15-20 severely challenged children at one time in his self contained classroom. Walk past his classroom, however, and you would never know that his students were severely challenged. Fitz teaches his class with enthusiasm and rigor, as if it was a regular education classroom. He keeps his students hooked and engaged, and he brings the subjects to life with his excellent story telling and his love for history, or conveying the subject matter for their English lesson. No matter what the subject is, Fitz is super enthusiastic and encouraging to his students, pushing them beyond their own expectations.
"I had the pleasure and honor of getting to observe Fitz as the fatherly role model that so many of his students never had," said Kutz. "Just like a good father, Fitz was kind, caring, and compassionate, but he was also steadfast in making sure that his students grew into young adults who knew the values of hard work, honesty, integrity, and perseverance. He never let the label of being 'intellectually disabled' stop him from challenging his students and helping them rise to achievement levels that other educators felt were not possible."
Fitz has a very caring attitude toward his students and wants the very best for each and every one of them. When the students had to take a class outside of his classroom and were scared to leave the room, he would escort them to that class and give them words of encouragement and tell them to give it a chance. He told his students they'd end up really liking the class, and he was right more often than not. The student would flourish and expand their confidence in knowing they could survive outside of his classroom.
Often times, intellectually disabled students are passed along until they enter adulthood, with no plans for what is to come. However, if you were a student in Fitz's class, one thing is for sure: you left high school with a purpose and a plan. Those plans may have been working in a sheltered workshop, at a fast food restaurant, or at a retail location, but regardless, there was a plan. Fitz worked tirelessly on helping students obtain their driver's license and/or learn necessary skills to live in society and not be taken advantage of due to their disability. He taught them that there was no limits to what they could accomplish if they put their hearts and minds to something. He encouraged and recruited many special education students to participate in track and field to provide them with an experience they might not have otherwise pursued.
Fitz is a man of few words, but he doesn't hold back on his love and commitment to his students. Fitz is never quick to judge, and he's an excellent listener and observer. He'll let people voice their concerns or thoughts before interjecting one word. He never gets riled up or excited, and he has a very even temperament.
Fitz also has a very dry sense of humor and is a fixture in his hallway, greeting students as they walk by, roasting his fellow teachers, and starting funny games or tricks to lighten the atmosphere and make school a more fun place to be.
"I remember when he came to work with this ugly fish potholder that looked like it had seen better days, and I asked what he planned on doing with it," said Pfeiffer. "He would give me his Cheshire Cat smile and would say, 'You will see.' A couple days would go by, and a colleague would come out of their room with this ugly thing saying, 'Someone put this in the middle of my bulletin board,' or, 'I found this thing hanging from my ceiling.' Frank would just smile his funny smile and say, 'I will take that.' It became a game where everyone waited to see where the ugly fish potholder would end up!"
Overall, Fitz is truly an extraordinary educator. In a time when special education lacks many male role models, Fitz has been an excellent role model for special education students, as well as his colleagues.
"I have had the pleasure of working with Fitz for the past 14 years as a fellow special education teacher. Today, I'm an indirect supervisor in my role as Process Coordinator," said Kutz. "One thing that has remained consistent throughout those 14 years is Fitz's commitment and compassion to his career. In fact, even when retiring, the last request he made to us was 'to take care of his kids.'"
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fitz did not get to end his teaching career with the typical retirement parties or recognition at the district celebration event. He did not get his final track season. He did not get his final Special Olympics field day. Fitz didn't even know that on March 13th, when he said goodbye to his students for Spring Break, it would be the last time he would get to see his students in person. He never got to end the school year with the students he has helped teach, guide, support, and uplift over the past four years. His happy farewells and high five goodbyes were taken from him. However, despite all of that, his only request continues to be to "take care of [his] kids."
"Fitz is as humble as they come, and I admire that about him," said Pfeiffer. "I'm also sad, though, because he deserves to be recognized for his awesome abilities. Not everyone could do the job he does. It takes a special kind of person to deal daily with the students that he has in his classroom."
"Pacific High School and the special education department have some big shoes to fill with his retirement," said Kutz. "I'm not sure if it's completely possible to find a 'replacement' for Fitz. He's definitely one of a kind as far as I am concerned, and I think all of his students would agree with me."