ORLANDO, Fla. — Students and administrators say Jacqueline Russell’s innovative teaching methods and her stimulating and inclusive classroom environment light a fire in the souls of her students.

What You Need To Know

Russell pours her heart and soul into teaching her sixth-graders at Meadowbrook Middle School.

"A lot of times they don't want to leave," she says. "They want to be in here, so if I say, like, it's time to go, they're like, ‘Can we finish this?’ They want to stay, or they want to come back another period, ‘But you can't. You have to go to your other classes.’ Because now they're involved in it, and they're engaged in it."

Russell can be heard leading her students in songs meant to help them figure out problems.

"A lot of kids are intimidated by education period — math especially. So, I figured if I made it fun, engaging, they would be more willing to learn, and they do. I get like 100% engagement when they are using songs," she says.

That is music to the ears of her students, who stay busy working together in teams, tackling hands-on projects and solving problems in a fast-paced setting.

Those are the building blocks and the foundation to creating lifelong learners.

"I love math. I love teaching math," Russell adds. "I love teaching it in a non-traditional way."

It all adds up for her students, who can't seem to get enough.

"With our Math Lit club, it's just tutoring," Russell says. "And we couldn't get kids to come to tutoring, so I said, ‘Let me just start a club,’ and I started a Math Lit club because all the kids want to be a part of something. I had over 50 kids sign up in two days."

That excitement is multiplied thanks to Russell’s positive praise.

"I just saw kids wanting to learn math more and loving it and wanting to come to math class," Russell says. "Before, they didn't want to come in, some of them. They were very intimidated."

But not anymore. Not in Russell’s class.

"It is the most rewarding thing when a student can come back to you and say, 'I get it now.' So that was a plus for me and for them," Russell says.