PHOENIX — Creating calm - we could all use a lesson in that! There is a teacher in the Valley who helps "create calm" and makes it look easy.
ABC15 first introduced Latoya Jones, a third-grade teacher at Edison Elementary School in Phoenix, in August. With the school year almost over, we thought it would be a good idea to follow up and see how the school year went.
Inside her third-grade classroom at Edison, part of the Phoenix Elementary School District, there is no better example than Mrs. Jones herself!
"Peace and community are my core values," explains Mrs. Jones. "And we accomplished that this year. And I hope that’s what the kids take with them."
But even in an increasingly chaotic world, Mrs. Jones and her students are still able to achieve that.
"Routines and procedures," she explains. "The kids know when they come what is expected of them."
Back in August, Mrs. Jones explained the idea of starting fresh each year and reminded us that each day is an opportunity to start new.
"Every day is a fresh start, and I tell them that. If they had a bad moment or something happened on the playground - even in the next moment, take a second for yourself and then move on. The slate is clean."
And it turns out, Mrs. Jones will be getting a clean slate of her own. After spending 17 years inside the same classroom - her entire teaching career - Mrs. Jones will be returning to Edison, but not the same classroom.
As the school moves from serving K-8 to serving K-4, the administration will be doing some reorganizing, which means Mrs. Jones will have to pack up and move down the hall.
"Change is good," she explains. "That's my silver lining."
But for third graders like Khaliayah Nuriddin, it's not so much what's in the classroom, but how she felt while she was in there, telling us one of the things she'll miss most about Mrs. Jones is her contagious smile.
"It makes me feel good," she explains. "Because I know I'll have a great day."
"She teaches us when we don’t understand, and she shows us how to do it, and if we still don't get it, she will help us."
Edison and the rest of the Phoenix Elementary School District will be going through changes next school year. Back in March, ABC15 reported that the District had decided to close down two of its schools as enrollment declined.
