CMS teachers put final touches on classrooms as they prepare to welcome students on Tuesday

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Teachers across CMS are putting the finishing touches on their rooms as they prepare for students on Tuesday. At Lawrence Orr Elementary in east Charlotte, Teacher of the Year Christina Brown transformed her room into “Brown University.”

Brown says prep work is about getting her mind ready for a new group of kindergarteners. She says the kids settle in quickly; it’s the parents who usually have the hardest time saying goodbye.

Brown laughs and says, “I’ve even had parents sneak around and look through the blinds. And you know, I have to say, ‘Mom, dad, calm down, they are going to be okay.'”

Brown says her goal is simple: make her students feel safe, loved and excited to learn from day one.