Mike Wilson, the former principal of Glen Iris Elementary School in Birmingham, has witnessed teachers go to extraordinary lengths for their students. But never before has he seen anything like what one teacher, Valencia Maiden, did for a special student named Jamie.

Ever since the day Jamie started kindergarten at Glen Iris, everyone knew and loved her. For one thing, she stood out physically from the other students with her bright red hair and fair skin.

The teachers and staff also knew her because of her family situation. Her father wasn’t in the picture, and her mother’s parental rights were severed when she was in second grade. After her grandparents took her in, her grandmother died. The school counselor worked closely with Jamie’s grandfather, a mechanic, to help him navigate the court system to get custody and disability benefits for himself.

Jamie is “an avid reader, great at drawing and painting, loves animals, loves to listen to music and watch TV,” said her mother, Valencia Maiden. “She’s a well-rounded, loving, sweet little girl.” (Courtesy of Valencia Maiden)

When her grandfather rented a house, it was “gutted and stripped” before he and Jamie could move in, Wilson said. The landlord couldn’t be bothered to replace anything, so Wilson and others from the school pitched in. Along with a group from his church, Carpenter’s Hands Ministry, “We got the house rewired and up to code and furnished it with essentials they needed,” Wilson said.

Maiden, a fifth grade teacher at Glen Iris, became especially close to Jamie. When Jamie was in fourth grade, Maiden would help her with homework in the after-care program. Like the other teachers and staff members, she considered herself one of Jamie’s cheerleaders.

“Everybody was rooting for her to grow up and do big things,” she says.

Maiden recalls that one day, she watched as Jamie stood on the playground and put out her finger for a little bird, which jumped right onto it. “That’s the kind of person she is,” she said.

Jamie’s grandfather, who she called “Papa,” “absolutely loved her,” Maiden said. “He did anything and everything for her.”

When he came to pick up Jamie from the after-care program, “He would have worked a long day and would be covered in grease,” Maiden recalled. He would wash his hands, then go to the office where, invariably, Jamie would beg him to let her stay and play for a while longer. As tired as he was, he would give in to her.

“He talked to her like she was a mini-adult,” Maiden said. “He was an awesome man. I was really blessed to know him.”

Sometimes, with Papa’s permission, Jamie would stay overnight with Maiden on weekends. “He said she needed a woman to talk to,” Maiden said.

One morning in September 2018, a distant relative of Jamie’s came into the principal’s office to inform the administration that her grandfather had died over the weekend. “He said she had no place to go,” Wilson said. “She would go into the foster care system.”

After Valencia Maiden adopted Jamie, some of their supporters at Glen Iris Elementary threw a drive-by celebration. Here, Jamie, Maiden and Maiden’s fiancé, Alex Moore, pose with former Glen Iris principal Mike Wilson’s two vizslas, Sadie and Iris. (Courtesy of Mike Wilson)

At the time, Jamie was in Maiden’s fifth-grade class. “I couldn’t imagine her leaving and never knowing what happened to her,” Maiden said. “She was special to me. The opportunity presented itself, and I had to at least try. So we went for it.”

Maiden, who until then had been single and childless, immediately registered as a foster parent. She talked it over with Jamie and assured Jamie’s biological mother that she only wanted the best for the little girl. “I’m not trying to replace her mother,” she said, “but I’m here to support her in any way she needs.”

Jamie had been with a foster family for a couple of weeks while Maiden completed the necessary paperwork. Then Maiden picked her up and took her home to her two-bedroom apartment in Hoover. “We were so excited about everything,” she said.

Once again, Maiden’s friends at school had helped furnish Jamie’s new bedroom. “My Glen Iris family showed up and showed out,” she said. They chipped in to provide “one thing after another,” including a bed, a dresser and a comforter set. “Without them, we wouldn’t have as much as we have.”

In July 2020, Maiden officially adopted Jamie. One of the coaches at Glen Iris organized a “Gotcha Day” drive-by parade to celebrate.

“I have a beautiful red-haired girl who’s growing daily,” Maiden said. “She’s such a blessing to have. I never would have imagined this happening.”

Valencia and Jamie attend a retirement party for Wilson after 14 years at Glen Iris Elementary. He is now principal of a new charter school, the Magic City Acceptance Academy in Birmingham. (Courtesy of Mike Wilson)

Jamie is now a straight-A student in seventh grade. “She’s an avid reader, great at drawing and painting, loves animals, loves to listen to music and watch TV,” Maiden said. “She’s a well-rounded, loving, sweet little girl.”

Maiden enjoys introducing Jamie to things and letting her “embrace childhood” without adult worries and responsibilities. “She was so mature by fourth grade,” she said. “I encourage her to do what children do: sleep late, eat ice cream, watch movies.”

Jamie kept her own last name and still calls Maiden “Miss Maiden” – and Maiden is fine with that. “I don’t want to pressure her,” she said. “She’s lost so much in such a short time – her grandfather, her dog, her grandmother, not being with her mother.”

But Jamie has gained a lot now that Maiden is her legal parent. Maiden’s mother, who has no biological grandchildren of her own, has taken Jamie under her wing. Jamie calls her “Bump Bump.” She also has lots of “cousins,” who are actually Maiden’s “plethora of godchildren.”

And Maiden got engaged in October. “He loves her,” she said of her fiancé. “He wanted to propose to me before, but he didn’t want to take away from the celebration of Jamie.” They plan to marry in 2021.

“Everything has fallen into place for us,” she said. “My church family has embraced her, my family, Glen Iris. It’s like she was born for me.”

Wilson, who retired as principal after 14 years at Glen Iris and is now heading the new Magic City Acceptance Academy charter school, tears up when he talks about the difference Maiden has made in Jamie’s life.

“In my 28 years in education, I’ve seen teachers do a lot of wonderful things – making sure students had food, clothes, Christmas or other holidays when they knew they wouldn’t have them at home – but for a teacher to have such a strong relationship, for circumstances to be where Jamie became homeless overnight because her grandfather died, Valencia didn’t hesitate,” he said. “There are no words to describe it. It’s humanity in its greatest form.”

Though they no longer work together, Wilson remains a dear friend who supports Maiden and Jamie in every way he can, from opening a college fund for Jamie to letting them visit with his dogs, Sadie and Iris, a pair of vizslas who were fixtures at Glen Iris.

“He’s always there if we need anything,” Maiden said. “He was always like that as a principal. He has taken us in and done so much for us.”

As always, Maiden continues to root for her former student who is now her daughter. “I can’t wait to see her grow up to be a beautiful young lady,” she said.

Readers who would like to contribute to Jamie’s college fund can do so by sending a check made payable to The American Fund, c/o Jeremy Young, Legacy Advisory Group, 36 Manning Place #200, Birmingham, AL 35242.

This story was first published by AL.com.

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