Teacher adopts 11-year-old boy who was her former student
A Florida teacher is opening up after adopting her former student and is sharing her experience pursuing adoption in her 50s.
Jackie Coombe adopted 11-year-old Jaden in June, nearly three years after the two first met when she was a substitute teacher in Jaden's class at a Volusia County elementary school in Ormond Beach, Florida.
"I may have cried," Coombe told ABC News of her reaction to Jaden's adoption being finalized on June 10 in Volusia County.
Coombe said when she first met Jaden, he stood out for his "very spirited" personality and "very energetic" attitude, and they developed a friendship in the seven months she taught his second grade class.
Coombe learned later that Jaden, who was in foster care, was available for adoption, something she said she had considered for over a decade. She was divorced in 2017 and was already a mom of two sons, but she said she missed raising a young child.
"I had been thinking about adoption for years … and it just never seemed to quite fit in with what I was doing, or I was scared," the 53-year-old said.
"But my kids are 29 and 27, and I really miss little kids," she continued. "I really miss all the fun exploring, being able to go to kids movies and not waiting to watch it at home, going out to the park -- just doing the things that I used to get to do when my kids were younger."
So when Coombe heard that Jaden was looking for a forever family, she said it was the motivation she needed to move forward with the adoption process.
Jaden went to live with Coombe last December, after supervised visits and working with his case manager since 2025, a major step that Coombe said sealed the deal for the young boy.
"Over time, it turned into the overnight stays, and he relaxed a little bit more. He's been saying since the day he moved in, in December, that he's adopted already," Coombe said. "He would argue with you if you told him he wasn't."
Coombe said when the adoption was complete in June, Jaden, who had been in foster care for three years overall, also appeared to be greatly affected.
"There was a huge change after the actual signing of the paper," Coombe said. "He's more bubbly. He's more happy to talk to people. … I guess it meant as much to him as it did to me to actually have the judge say, 'You are adopted.'"
Volusia County Schools told ABC News that Coombe's adoption of Jaden is an example of how student-teacher partnerships can grow into a long-lasting bond.
"Stories like this remind us why we do this work. What began in a Pathways Elementary classroom grew into a family," said Mike Micallef, chief communications officer of Volusia County Schools. "Ms. Coombe saw a child in need and responded with her whole heart and her home. This is the kind of story that stays with you. Congratulations to Jaden and the entire Coombe family."
Since adopting Jaden, Coombe said she has temporarily stepped back from teaching, a career she's had for the past eight years, to focus full-time on raising him.
For others considering adoption, Coombe said she encourages people to take the leap.
"You don't have to be a super great parent, you just need to be somebody who wants to be around kids," Coombe said. "I'm single, I am 53, and I'm not too old, and I don't need to be married to give this child love."
