Collier County Public Schools is days away from the first day of school. On Monday, it welcomed back its teachers.
Teachers like Kathleen Wasmer, a passionate fifth-grade teacher at Parkside Elementary School, who loves to teach.
"Often, people say, Why don't you go to a different school? Do you ever want to do coaching? Do you ever want to be an admin?" said Mrs. Wasmer. "And I'm like, No, I love being in the classroom. This is my passion. I think I'll be retiring as a classroom teacher when I retire."
Mrs. Wasmer said she finds joy in the fresh start that each school year brings.
"This is one of the only professions that you get to have a clean start, like you get to start fresh," Wasmer said. "You get to change your room. You get a new group of students to get to know and their personalities, and you get to learn from what you did last year."
Parkside Elementary achieved remarkable success last year, advancing from a 'B' to an 'A' school.
And how were they able to do it?
"The teachers," said Elizabeth Alves, Ed.D., chief academic officer for Collier County Public Schools. "Last year here in the school, we worked together in collaborative planning to, you know, focus on how to reach their students."
With changes to the curriculum this year, Collier County teachers are more determined than ever to continue their success. They are also getting to see some new faces.
"Looking forward to meeting the kids," Wasmer said. "Looking forward to being an 'A' again and working together to make that happen."
Aug. 11 is the first day of school for Collier County Public Schools students.