LAND O’ LAKES – A Pasco County educator has mastered the art of student engagement and success in the classroom.

But her impact reaches the entire campus.

Bonnie Brown loves boosting the confidence of her 1st grade students at Bexley Elementary. For Brown, it’s all about helping her students grow.

What You Need To Know

"I just love to see them get something,” Brown said of that moment when her students understand their school work. “Especially if they've been struggling for a while, and all of a sudden they get it. It's like ‘oh yes!’

“I get such enjoyment out of them understanding a topic or something they've been learning, or even if it's a behavior thing and they made their day all day long. It's wonderful I get excited for them."

Brown, also the 1st grade team leader, is celebrated for her love of students and patience in the classroom. Parents describe her as a constant cheerleader for their children and her principal said she’s great for other teachers as well as her students.

"She's a natural leader, and a grade level leader,” said Bexley Elementary Principal Michele Boylan. “So she also does a great job at sharing difficult ways to individualize learning for her students.

“She just goes above and beyond to make sure that students are learning each day and she also has the patience and the love to really remember that these are 1st graders and she is going to welcome them and make sure they feel like they belong every day."

It's that excitement and her love for children that's kept her going strong for 14 years.

"Every year, it's a different group. I love the kids,” Brown said. “I love to watch them grow, especially 1st grade. Their growth is amazing. They come in knowing just a few sight words and at the end of 1st grade, they're reading chapter books. So really, the growth piece is why I come back. It’s really inspiring to watch them grow."