Southwestern Pennsylvania Kindergarten Teacher Think of Students as Family

The average school day is seven hours long. Students attend school for approximately 180 days a year. That adds up to roughly 1,260 hours spent in the classroom. It's little wonder that many students consider school to be a home away from home, and their teachers to be like a member of their family.

In the case of California Area Elementary Kindergarten teacher Audrey Winfield, that's especially true, as for many California students, she's been one of the first faces they've seen upon arriving at school on their very first day.

Winfield has been teaching in the California Area School District for 25 years. Prior to being hired as a full time teacher, she was a substitute teacher in the district for ten years, an experience that she credits with helping prepare her for full time teaching. She also worked as a substitute teacher at the now defunct Roscoe, Philipsburg, Republican and Granville neighborhood schools.

At the elementary school, Winfield has taught Kindergarteners, second, third and fifth graders. At the middle school, she taught seventh and eighth grade Language Arts classes.

Winfield explained that she decided to become a teacher because, as a young student, "I loved the classroom. I looked forward to being at school." Her own teachers also inspired her. "I looked up to my teachers," she said. "They always seemed happy to come to school."

Audrey Campbell Winfield graduated from Turtle Creek High School in 1969. She earned a degree in elementary education from California University of Pennsylvania in 1972. In 1985, she earned a Masters in Education and Reading Specialist certification. About her college days, Winfield said, "I loved the University. I enjoyed California. There were so many things to do then. The restaurants were in full swing. There were a variety of clothing stores, three grocery stores, three gas stations and a G.C. Murphy store. It was a neat place."