Christine Willis-Bennett shapes her classroom to be warm and friendly, to encourage her students to perform at the highest level. “I love to meet them with a daily smile, a handshake or a hug to set the tone for the day,” she says. Ms. Willis-Bennett thinks of her school, where she has taught for three years, as a “haven for positive learning experiences.”  The mutual respect between students and teachers creates a “winning environment” where she is unsurprised to hear that “children want to return to school early in the summer because they missed us!” Her principal, Brandon Eatman, notes the “quiet hum of activity” that can be heard in her room throughout the day. He says, “It is clear that she knows how to keep the classroom alive without overwhelming the children.”

Ms. Willis-Bennett drew inspiration from her mother who encouraged and celebrated all of her educational endeavors, in spite of not having a formal education herself, and from her own teachers, who mentored and encouraged her. “Through the selfless giving of their time, whether to comfort me when I couldn’t write in cursive or to show me how to solve a math problem, they shared a part of themselves on a daily basis,” she recalls. Ms. Willis-Bennett has also given much to her school community during her 35 years of teaching, serving as a mentor for new teachers and as a member of the Chancellor’s Teachers’ Cabinet. But, as she explains, “I give a great deal, but I receive a great deal as well.” Ms. Willis-Bennett has three children that graduated from DCPS between 2001 and 2007. She has been rated Highly Effective in all four years of IMPACT evaluations.