NATCHEZ — Walking to her classroom at West Primary School with an obedient line of 25 kindergarteners following behind, Kirby Watts’ philosophy on teaching was clear.

“Everything I do with these kids — I treat them like my own,” Watts said.

One boy held her left hand and two more boys tussled over her right hand, until one settled with holding her wrist.

Watts continued walking to her classroom with three 5-or-6 year-olds latched to her arms as if she did not notice the extra weight.

“I love children; I wouldn’t (teach) if I didn’t,” she said.

Watts was recently awarded the Mississippi Teachers Association award for outstanding educator of the year.

The Mississippi PTA honored her for the award two weeks ago at a banquet in Gulfport, where West Primary also won a handful of other awards.

Watts, who has been at West Primary for 10 years, said she enjoys teaching young children and seeing their minds sprout in a year.

“A lot of (her students) come in here as a blank slate, and by the time they leave we have most of them reading,” Watts said.

She said her trick to educating young minds is to teach her students everything they need to know in a song, chant, rhyme or with an artistic activity.

“They don’t even know they’re learning,” she said.

And Watts truly believes it is her job as a teacher to educate every child for success and enable her students to take a meaningful place in society, she said.

According to Watts’ teaching assistant, Tanya McKinley, students are drawn to Watts because she is full of energy, sympathetic and fun to be around.

“She is a very good teacher,” McKinley said.

Watts said she was surprised and honored to receive the honor from the Mississippi PTA, she said.

It also helps that she enjoys where she works, she said.

“I’m working at a very good school, and I have a great principal,” West said.

The state PTA also honored West Primary with the scrap-booking award, newsletter award, and six awards for high PTA membership. Willie Mae Mitchell received West Primary’s grandparent of the year award at the meeting, as well.

Every staff and faculty member at the school joined the PTA this year West Primary Principal Cindy Idom said.

Idom said she learned at a PTA conference that students can be members of PTA, so the students joined, as well.

Idom said PTA has helped West Primary accomplish a number of projects for the school and community.

The PTA secured the Reading is Fundamental program, built a memory garden, sent soldiers supplies overseas for “Operation Yellow Ribbon,” and threw juice and cookie parties for students with perfect attendance/zero tardies.

Flex-time PTA meetings also helped parents fit meetings into their schedule and stay involved, Idom said.

Idom said this year’s PTA president at the school, Lekita Davis, was a key factor in the success of PTA.

“(Davis) knew a lot of parents and really worked with them to address everything from Campbell’s soup drives to helping the needy to (organizing) fundraisers (and more),” Idom said.

Idom said parental involvement is especially important at a young age.

“Parental involvement is the very beginning stepping stone. You have to involve parents in their child’s education,” Idom said.

Watts said she has good relationships with her students’ parents because they know she loves their child. And parents feel comfortable with her.

“I talk to a parent (on the phone) at least once a day,” Watts said.