DELAND, Fla. — A grateful parent nominated A+ Teacher Tamarock Verdines, who teaches at Woodward Avenue Elementary school in DeLand. The parent said her child had a hard time adjusting in school and often refused to go until she was placed in Verdines' class. She said now her child is happy about attending school.  

When Spectrum News 13 stopped by her classroom, students were taking a quick break from the books to slow down for a writing lesson in kindness. 

Verdines says, "It's called compliment turtle, so the kids get a plate on their backs like their shell and they go around and they put compliments to each other that they're not supposed to see until the end of the activity."

And when they finally get to read their classmates' compliments, the student’s sweet smiles really says it all. 

Verdines was nominated by a parent who describes her an exceptional teacher who goes over and beyond her job duty. 

"Since I can remember, I always wanted to be a teacher," Verdines says. "Growing up and going to school, I was the baby of eight. School was a way for me to get out and learn everything that I wanted to learn.  I wanted to bring that to the kids now." 

And learning is really the overall focus here. Verdines says there's something she wants each of her students to take away from her class.

"Some kids don't learn the same way," she says. "I mean, one kid will pick it up right now, and one kid will pick it up two years from now. Just because you don't learn it at that time doesn't mean you're not going to learn it all."

She says it's all a mindset.

"It's not when I learn it," Verdines saya. "It's not if I will learn it. It's I haven't learned it yet."