JOHNSTON, S.C. (WJBF) – Keidra Lott has spent her career in 2nd and 3rd grade classrooms. But now she’s connecting with kindergartners and making sure they’re ready for a strong academic career.

“It’s a great experience,” Lott says. “I get a chance for the earlier part of their years to make a difference. And when they chose me to be the kindergarten teacher, they said they need a strong foundation. And so it was a pleasure and an honor.”

Mrs. Lott has the skills and qualities that a teacher needs to help her students get on and stay on a positive path in school.

“Dedication. Love. I just enjoy what I do. They’re like my second family. I spend most of my time here with them. And we’re like a family, tight-knit.”

It’s fitting that Mrs. Lott refers to her students as her family because one of her family members motivated her to choose this profession.

“My auntie, we used to play teacher all the time. We used to play school. And we would play school and play school. My mom would go to work and she would keep us and she did not know she was instilling in me to be a teacher.”

And none of this would be possible without the support Mrs. Lott gets here at Douglas from her parapro Ms. Brooks and the entire team. She also leans on her husband and two children to give her the strength to succeed each day.

“It’s challenging sometimes, of course,” she says. “Life gets in the way. But with this great support, like you said, we work together to get it done.”

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