Beloved Delaware kindergarten teacher retiring after 48 years

NEW CASTLE, Delaware (WPVI) -- The green room at Carrie Downie Elementary School in New Castle, Delaware has been home to a very special kindergarten teacher.

Dr. Rosa S. Trotter has been teaching in the Colonial School District for 48 years, spending most of it in the same room.

Over the years, Trotter has touched and inspired the lives of countless children -- thousands, as she puts it.

She has the ability to make any kid feel comfortable and engaged in learning.

"I try to engage them by showing them how much I care and how much I love to learn," says Trotter.

Her classroom has been home to generations of families as well.

"It was like a second home when you started. Those first-day jitters as a little kid, they kind of immediately went away," says Gabriel Phillips, a former student of Trotter and current employee of Colonial School District.

After a long and successful career, Trotter has made the tough decision to retire at the end of the year.

"Sometimes we have to move on to another chapter," she says.

The positivity has spread way beyond the classroom to her fellow teachers who had a special surprise for her retirement.

The staff decided to gift her an engraved plaque to honor her service to the district.

"The greatest gift I got in life was to become a kindergarten teacher," said Trotter.

After the plaque was presented, her students proceeded to surround her with hugs to which she replied, "I love my babies."