SPANISH FORT, Ala. — Few people understand the brutal honesty of children better than kindergarten teachers, but Spanish Fort Elementary School’s Kelly Smith admits one student caught her off guard with his expectations of his new teacher.

“He told me he’s going to college in Atlanta, and this class is getting him ready,” said Smith, a fourth-year teacher welcomed by SFES three weeks ago from Bay Minette’s Pine Grove Elementary. Smith, who graduated from Mobile Christian School, earned her bachelor's degree in early childhood education from Harding University in Searcy, Ark.

Editor’s Note: New jobs often bring challenges, but in educational settings they can also present opportunities for new arrivals to infuse schools with fresh perspectives and innovative approaches.

This is the second in an ongoing series designed to introduce readers to some new faces in the Spanish Fort feeder pattern.

See the rest of this story in the Sept. 3 Spanish Fort Sun.