Learning starts with A, B, C, and 1, 2, 3.
And if you went to Windcrest Elementary School, there's a good chance it started with Christy Berry too.
Berry has taught Kindergarten at Windcrest for 37 years.
But her connection with Windcrest actually goes back further than that.
She went to school at Windcrest when she was a child.
She also attended Ed White Middle School and graduated from Roosevelt.
"I've always loved North East. We're a community. We're a family."
That word "love" is essential.
You don't stick with one job for nearly four decades unless you love it.
You don't teach kindergarten that whole time unless you love kids.
"I love my kids. I mean, I'm a nurturing teacher, but I nurture them to learn and let them know they're loved. Children need to know that. They need to know that you care about them because they learn when they know you care about them, and they need to know someone loves them other than their family, that they are valued, they're important."
And that is exactly what Berry has spent the last 37 years doing: loving kids.
She will be the first to tell you all kids are different, but they are all special.
She loves teaching kindergarten because it gives her purpose, and she knows she can accomplish something meaningful with every student who comes through her class.
"They're just an open book for learning, and they love to learn. Everything's exciting. You can make writing a letter exciting to them, you know, just how you present it. I think sometimes they go home and tell their parents they played all day. Well, they didn't, but I've convinced them they have. We just played as we learned. I let them know they are loved and send them off to the next grade level."
