FLORENCE - This week's One Class at a Time winner is kindergarten teacher Julia White from Florence-Carlton Elementary School.
"I do dresses for whatever letter we're learning," explained White. "The kids guess the letter based on what I wear, I almost have the full alphabet!"
For White, becoming a teacher was a no-brainer.
"I am one of those stories where I was in grade school taking notes on what my teacher was doing," White shared. "I have honestly always known I wanted to be a teacher."
She plans to use her $250 grant to buy real magnifying glasses, real binoculars, and other real tools for her kindergartens to explore the outdoors in the springtime.
She emphasized that these young students often get fake toys to play with, but real tools take learning to a new level.
"By putting real tools in their hands, it's validating their learning - showing them that what we do all and the exploration we do and all the discoveries we make - it has meaning."
The tools will be shared with other teachers to use at Florence-Carlton and in doing so, White hopes that she will magnify the love of lifelong learning for her students.
"I want to instill a love of learning, whatever that learning is, in each and every child," said White.