“I guess teaching has always been in my blood. Both my parents were educators, but my choice to follow in their footsteps didn’t really crystallize until I had my own daughter,” said Lorna Williams, a first grade teacher at Palmetto Elementary School.

“Becoming a parent, I developed the desire to know what was going on in my daughter’s school, so I decided that I would become a teacher,” she said.

“That was a difficult decision for me, but I’m so glad I made that choice. It helped me become both a better mom and a better teacher because I can see things from both points of view.”

Williams has been teaching at Palmetto Elementary for two years, but her career spans more than a decade. She received her background training in Montessori at Barry University. That background comes through in her teaching style, which is warm, friendly, enriching, and individualized to each student’s needs.

“I like to develop a personal relationship with each child, with the support of the parent, so that I can discover what each one needs from me as a teacher,” she explained. “Because each child is made of something special, each one is unique.”

For example, Williams relates the story of one child who transferred to her class from another school and was exhibiting some aggressive behavior.

“Rather than send the child to the office, I asked permission from her guardians to talk to her,” she said. “They agreed, so the child and I talked about how to handle emotions and what to do when we feel angry. Less than a month later, the child made a complete transformation. She smiled, she worked in groups with other students, she learned to share. She even became my book monitor for a week. It was a wonderful thing. She just needed a chance.”

Another child came into Williams’ class having trouble because she couldn’t understand English.

“I met with the mother and the child, and I used visual aids like role-playing and dancing to help illustrate class lessons,” she said. “I also encouraged the other children in the class to make her feel comfortable.

“When she first started coming to school, she would cry every day when she was dropped off. Now, she’s happy when she kisses her mom good-bye in the morning, and she gives me a kiss good-bye every afternoon. She’s learning English very quickly, too.”

For Williams, those kinds of miracles occur every day, and she says “that’s my reward; that’s what keeps me going. But I might not be here at all if it weren’t for the wonderfully supportive staff here at Palmetto.”

Williams, an only child, lost her mother unexpectedly the previous school year, and was nearly shattered by grief.

“It was devastating. I was feeling so low that I didn’t even want to come back to work, but the teachers, parents and students here really helped me. They encouraged me and supported me, and they really helped me get back into life.”