‘I’m so shocked!’: Local teacher wins classroom makeover

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Carol Ramsey loves her job teaching 8th grade language arts.

But recently, she wasn’t loving her teaching space, describing it as more of a “prison” than a classroom.

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She felt it needed intervention to make it into a calm environment where students could really think and be creative.

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Two years ago, when Ramsey put her career as an educator on hold to give birth to her son Ethan, she didn’t expect to part with many of the classroom supplies she’d collected over the years.

“He was born early, so I had to quit the school where I was at. And it was such a crazy time — I did not have time to go back and get all my things from my classroom,” Ramsey told WFTV’s Jeff Levkulich.

Now a teacher at Markham Woods Middle School in Lake Mary, Ramsey recently saw an opportunity to make things better for her students.

She entered a contest for a classroom makeover.

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She wrote an essay about getting some much-needed help to spruce up her space.

And out of 90 teachers, Ramsey’s entry was chosen as the winner.

Thanks to Addition Financial, she’ll get the bright, inspirational environment she’s been dreaming of.

WFTV was in the classroom when Addition Financial surprised Ramsey.

Watch her reaction as she learned the news:

Video: Local teacher wins classroom makeover (Jeff Levkulich, WFTV.com/WFTV)

“It means everything to me. This has been such a difficult year and this is like exactly what I needed to remind me why I do this job.”

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