EudoraNews.com

Angela Holmes is looking forward to her first day of school as a teacher, that is.

Holmes is one of the new fourth grade teachers at West Elementary this year.

"I'm ready to start," she said. "I'm very excited."

Even though Holmes worked at West last year as a CAP teacher helping students with math and reading, she said this will be her first classroom.

"It's going to be a learning experience for me and the students every day," she said.

Holmes, who graduated from Mansfield University in Pennsylvania, said she had always wanted to be a teacher.

"I hated elementary school," she said. "I wanted to become a teacher because I think I wanted to make a difference and help kids like school."

Holmes, 24, moved to Lawrence with her husband, Gary, last year. She said she applied at several schools around the area and was pleased when she was hired at Eudora.

"I love Eudora," she said. "It reminds me of where I'm from. I love the people here and the students are great. I just really feel good here."

She said she was excited to be hired as a fourth grade teacher because she enjoys working with the older elementary students.

"I like the older kids. I work better with them than the younger kids," she said. "I like to teach kids that I can have good conversations with."

Even though school won't begin for almost a month, Holmes has already spent a lot of time working in her classroom.

"I've been in three or four times already. I will probably come in four or five more times before school starts," she said. "Right now I'm just getting the little things ready, name tags, looking through books, setting up desks and chairs."

She said she is looking forward to working with her class size of 18 students.

"You can do a lot more with a small class," Holmes said. "It's more beneficial to kids when you can focus on their needs."

She said included in those needs are student choices.

"They're at the age now where they make their own decisions," she said. "This isn't my classroom; this is their classroom. They will get to make some of their own decisions."

West principal Rod Moyer said one of the reasons the district hired Holmes was because of her ability to work with the students.

"She communicates well with the students," Moyer said. "She gets the point across to them."

He said Holmes was one of 12 candidates interviewed for teaching positions.

"All 12 were excellent. Angela was one of the top four," Moyer said. "She performs real well in her duties. She's very well-organized. She works well with the other teachers."

Holmes said she's ready for the school year to begin so she can begin working with her students.

"They're all different," she said. "Finding something that works for each one is a challenge, but once you find what works, their reaction is amazing."