Beth Schmidt is a highly qualified teacher who currently teaches first grade at Nellie Stokes Elementary in Camden, Delaware.  Schmidt is a graduate of the University of Delaware where she received her Bachelor's in Education and received her Master’s Degree in Literacy from Wilmington University. Being a teacher was Schmidt’s childhood dream, following in her mother’s footsteps.  During the 15 years that Schmidt has been teaching, she has taught pre-k through third grade.  If you enter her classroom you will see genuine smiles and relationships with her students that resemble a family. Schmidt has a way of connecting with her students, making them feel safe and secure so they are ready to take the leaps they need to be successful in their learning. She is an instrumental colleague, serving as the Lighthouse Coordinator organizing a school wide Leadership Day involving numerous staff and students and is training in Educator Self-Care to assist with strategies such as mindfulness to use in their classrooms. Schmidt feels strongly about teaching the whole child to help students function both inside and outside of school. She is very involved in her community, assisting with school events such as Girls on the Run, a small town fall festival and most recently a “care” a van to reach out to Stokes students during the Coronavirus pandemic. Annually, Schmidt honors a graduating senior who is pursuing a degree in education with a scholarship. One can say teaching is a profession, for Schmidt it is clearly a passion.