Good Works Makeover: Academic Excellence

The teachers themselves spend every day—from early in the morning till late in the afternoon—caring for children ages 9 to 14. "We're under fluorescents all day at school," says Courtney McMahon, who teaches math. More fluorescents were the last thing anyone wanted to come home to.

"These men and women do so much for society," says Elaine Griffin, whose mother was also a schoolteacher in Georgia. "Anybody can do pretty," Elaine says. "For me, the goal is warmth." What better place to start than the dining area!