When you enter Marissa McGee's classroom, the first thing you notice is her connection with her students. They're delighted by her enthusiasm, they pick up on her sarcasm, and they often double over with giggles when she makes a joke.

And this is kindergarten. So McGee's students — her audience — are 5-year-olds.

"They're easy to please," she says, laughing. "I'm not that funny. I wouldn't even consider myself funny at all."

This rapport is how Marissa McGee works to shape these kindergartners into thoughtful, educated adults.

Her classroom at Walker-Jones Education Campus, not far from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., has been heralded as a room to watch by D.C.'s public schools. Last year, teachers from all over the city visited McGee's class to observe her teaching as part of their professional development.

So, she let us in on some of her classroom tips: http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/05/04/467217123/5-pieces-of-wisdom-for-kindergarten-teachers

This story was written for NPR by Elissa Nadworny, a digital journalist on the NPR Ed Team.