Awaiting the students at Indian Trail Elementary School are hugs, smiles, and high fives all from beloved teacher Mrs. Santana.
Mrs. Santana has been the lead preschool teacher at Indian Trail for the past ten years. She loves that her school is a safe place for kids to come and learn.
“If students are having a bad day at home before they arrive at school, we like greeting them with smiles on our faces so anything bad that happens at home stays at home,” Santana said.
As a child, Mrs. Santana loved playing school. She often played teacher with her two younger sisters and younger brother, teaching them how to read and helping them to learn their numbers. Her future in education was inevitable.
Santana has served as a teacher in various schools. After graduating from Ball State University, Santana was a substitute at Warsaw High School for a year and a half. She then moved to Lowell and taught there as a middle school social studies teacher for about a year. Santana then took six years off from teaching to be at home with her children before beginning her preschool teaching career at Indian Trail. She enjoyed teaching middle school but enjoys teaching preschool much more.
“I like teaching preschool because I want to make the students have the most positive experience starting school since they will be there for at least the next thirteen years,” Santana said.
Mrs. Santana loves being a part of Indian Trail. She loves the families who go there and the people she works with. The staff is always positive, and they like to have a lot of fun while at their job.
Outside of school, Mrs. Santana loves to travel with her family and to create new memories. She also loves to read and watch her two daughters play volleyball at LaPorte High School.
While the students enjoy the hugs, smiles, and high fives from Mrs. Santana, they do not realize that each one impacts her just as much. Teaching is not her job; it’s her passion.