DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — When Westside Elementary School teacher Ebonyia Newmon put on a big reveal at her school recently, you could feel the excitement in the air.

The coronavirus pandemic meant traditional classes were over so the students were sitting inside their parents vehicles lined up in front of the school as they listened to a big announcement being broadcast on the school's loud speaker.

That day students giggled and waved as their parents honked their horns as Newmon stepped outside announcing to her second graders that when fall starts up and they enter the third grade she would once again be their teacher.

Newmon strolled outside blowing kisses, waving and cheering at them, and it's that joy for her students and for teaching that led to Newmon being nominated as an A+ Teacher.

"Once you have established the love in the classroom, which will create the culture, then you're able to really reach the children,” she said.

At Westside Elementary School Newmon teaches all subjects.

"I do believe that all children have the ability to learn," she said.

That spirit clearly extends outside of the normal classwork. Newmon's compassion is always on display; for example, when one of her students didn't want to wear her glasses to school.

Newmon recalled, "She did not know that I wore glasses. One day I came to school and I had my glasses on and from that moment on she was pretty much saying, ‘If Mrs. Newmon wears glasses then I'm going to wear my glasses!'"

Early on in Newmon's life she knew reaching students was in her blood.

"My sister says it really started from when I was a child, where I would have school with her and be her teacher,” she said.

But it would be later in life when things clicked while she was helping her cousin, who happens to be a teacher. Newmon says she would help her grade papers and “would go in and help some of her low performing students with their reading.”

She continued, “… when I saw that I said, 'Hey, I think I'm pretty good at this!’"

Her students would say that's an understatement.

"I am praying that we do go back to school, because I do miss my kids. I miss touching them. I miss giving them a hug,” Newmon said.