WINDERMERE, Fla. — A+ Teacher Erma Brathwaite-LaMotta says her students at Windermere High School are always on her mind. She says, "I stay pretty active outside of school but really I'm always thinking about (is) what can I do differently in my classroom."
What You Need To Know
- Erma Brathwaite-LaMotta teaches Special Education at Windermere High School
- She says her mother encouraged her to become a teacher
- Here’s how you can nominate an A+Teacher
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 school 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 towards teaching. I've done it for 26 years and I haven't regretted it one day," she shares.
Brathwaite-LaMotta remembers her own school days in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
She says, "I grew up in that British system where it was really formal, so my mom just always stressed the importance of education. 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 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.
She says, "I think as teachers that's what we want. We want to know that we've made an impact. 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."