CANTON: History comes to life in Guerra's classroom | Education

CANTON, Ga. -- Heather Guerra has a foil "pot" on her head and is wearing a plaid shirt and jeans.

For the first graders in Guerra's class at Macedonia Elementary School, it's fun to see their teacher dress-up as Johnny Appleseed.

Actually, they never know who Guerra will become from one day to the next. The 11Alive Class Act winner, knows how to get to the core of what makes kids learn by peeling away the skin of a lesson.

"They love to see their teacher as quirky," Guerra said. "They're in tune to what you're doing, because you're just goofy and they're learning at the same time. And, I just walked around like that all day at school, and they kids just love it."

In her role as Johnny Appleseed, she told her students, "I had a big apple orchard. It was awesome. I loved it. I loved going in there in my bare feet and walking around in the sunshine."

"She teaches to each child's level; she's patient," said Michelle Bell, whose son, Conner, had Guerra for both kindergarten and third grade. "She gets creative, as you've seen. She loves what she does. She's very passionate about being a teacher." 

"(She) takes her time and let us go at our own pace," Conner said.