ISLE OF WIGHT CO., Va. — With friends, family and staff in tow, we slipped in through the back door of Robin Whitley's kindergarten classroom to surprise her.

The students seemed just as surprised to see us as our Everyday Hero — Mrs. Whitley.

“Thank you so much. I think my daughter-in-law might have known about this, because she came and curled my hair last night," Whitley said.

With her hairdo on point and a smile on her face, Mrs. Whitley was shocked to see us — and most of her family — file into her classroom.

The Isle of Wight native has dedicated her life to molding young minds — first at Tidewater Academy in Wakefield, then at Isle of Wight Academy, starting in 1991.

"When you teach children how to read, it’s like a light bulb goes off. You plug along, and all of a sudden it’s

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