WINDERMERE, Fla. — A+ Teacher Erma Brathwaite-LaMotta says her students at Windermere High School are always on her mind.

"I stay pretty active outside of school, but really, I'm always thinking about what can I do differently in my classroom," she says.

Brathwaite-LaMotta is passionate about making sure her students are learning and reaching their goals. It is important to her that her classroom is a welcoming, happy place.

She teaches learning strategies and high-tech transition planning.

"We've had kiddos who have had interviews, and when they're sitting in these interviews for jobs, they're using the same shared behaviors, so these are really lifelong skills that you're learning," she says.

Brathwaite-LaMotta's job is a high-skilled career that could have passed her by.

 “You know, I majored in English, and it wasn't until my mom said, 'What are you going to do with that English degree?' And then she was the one who said, 'You love working with kids — you're patient.' And that's when my mind started turning toward teaching," Brathwaite-LaMotta said. "I've done it for 26 years, and I haven't regretted it one day."

Brathwaite-LaMotta remembers her own school days in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.

"I grew up in that British system where it was really formal, so my mom just always stressed the importance of education," she says. "Yeah, I was pretty good. My twin sister and I kept one another in check, so that was a good thing for me, too."

These days Brathwaite-LaMotta says she hopes her students not only remember the skills she is teaching them but something else.

"I want them to remember and hopefully remember me as somebody who was always there for them, who supported them in their goals and helped them achieve those goals," Brathwaite-LaMotta says.

The teacher says there is no greater feeling than crossing paths with her students after they graduate.

"I think, as teachers, that's what we want. We want to know that we've made an impact," she says. "We want to know that the students listened to what we were teaching them, and seeing them later on in life just really is the cherry on top of what we're doing."