CASSELBERRY, Fla. — Lindsey Brones has a loving heart and is always giving off positive energy to her kindergarteners at Sterling Park Elementary School in Casselberry. Brones was inspired to pursue a career in the classroom thanks to four very incredibly special people in her life. 

Brones keeps her students hard at work, but says her teaching style is laid back, with lots of laughter. The kindergarten teacher admits she is flexible. 

She says it is important to schedule in what she calls “brain breaks.” They are meant to break up the school day with music and movement.

“So that they can get their sillies out. They got their wiggles, right? It’s hard when you’re five. Your attention span is five minutes long,” she said.

Family is everything to Brones.

“So my four boys are my inspiration for becoming a classroom teacher. As they had their journeys through public schools, I decided that the way they interacted with the teachers influenced their outcome and if they had a teacher that really inspired them, or they believed in and they had a good relationship with it really changed whether or not they were successful in that class. So, I felt that I could be that person for someone else.”

Brones wants her classroom to have that family feeling too.

“We always call this a classroom family. We make sure that everyone feels included and no matter what kind of day they’re having, when they walk in the room, they can feel safe and loved,” she said.

It is a feeling she hopes stays with them throughout the day. “So in the morning I make sure if they need a hug, they get a hug. If they need a high five, or a handshake, or a fist bump, they get what they need.”