Jennifer Broder has taught in Vestal for 23 years, all but two of those years teaching kindergarten.

She says the kids always keep her busy, but it's fun because they are at the perfect age to be excited about coming to school to learn and make friends.

Broder says, "You're coming into kindergarten, you're learning how to function in a school. You're learning how to be a good citizen. You're learning how to have compassion and kindness towards others. Of course, you're also learning the routine of the day. "

Having taught kindergarten for so long, she said she's really learned the importance of being the one who gets to introduce students to all of the new experiences.

Broder said, "I feel like kindergarten is essentially the most important grade of them all because it's like, let's face it, it sets the stage for everything to come. So it really does set the stage for everything, you know, and hopefully, it'll build a love of school."

Broder also said shes always had a passion for teaching and her favorite part of every day, is of course, seeing the kids grow.

"The little things they do to bring a smile to your face and the little things that happen every single day when you see the cogs turning and the learning happening. You really feel like, wow, they made such strides today, you know? And every day there's some kind of stride that happens with a kindergarten student," said Broder.