TAMPA, Fla. — The classroom is a happy place for Kaitlin Powers.

A kindergarten teacher that is on a mission to help her kids love learning, Powers specializes in connecting with her young students and keeping them engaged.

"I want it to be magical,” Powers said. “I want them to love school I want them to love coming here. I want everything to be magical. I want to share experiences with them. I want them to feel loved and special and empowered every day, and know they can do it."

Still a relatively new teacher, Powers works hard to cultivate engagement, even repeating examples so each child has the chance to catch on and chime in.

Foster Elementary Assistant Principal Kirsten Meyer said Powers is an example of how doing all the little things make a big difference.

"We utilize her and her knowledge and her ability to connect with students as a model for other teachers,” Meyer said of Powers. “So, we have teachers on our own campus, maybe new teachers, or teachers trying out new things. They come to see how does things. We've had administrators from other schools reach out to us to she how she does things.

"For a teacher that's only been here five years, she has already has that reputation of 'Hey, that's somebody I need to go watch to learn.'"

Powers said she wants learning to be fun for her kids in a safe and happy environment.

"I think the kids in this community need me,” she said. “They need someone who is excited to teach. They need someone to share their experiences with them, to push them, to believe in them."