The classroom that ties generations together

When Kinsey Lowder unlocks her classroom door at New Salem Elementary each morning, she’s stepping into more than just another school day. She’s walking into a place that holds nearly a century of her family’s history.

Lowder is in her fourth year of teaching, all of which have been at New Salem. She completed her student teaching in the same building, was offered a position before graduation, and has been there ever since. What makes her story even more remarkable is the generational tie—her grandfather attended New Salem in the 1950s and 60s, her great-grandfather before that in the 1930s and 40s, when the school was still a high school. Even a cousin her age passed through its halls in the early 2000s.

“New Salem has always been part of my family’s story,” Lowder said. “When I was placed here for student teaching, it just felt right. And when they offered me the job, I knew this was where I was meant to be.”

Her grandfather, Jr. Baucom, remembers those halls well. He started first grade in 1957—and even repeated sixth grade after spending the year hiding from the bus and skipping school.

“That was actually my favorite year because I had Mrs. Bessie Parker,” he said with a laugh. “After that, I felt like I had two groups of friends—the ones from first through sixth grade, and the ones from sixth through eighth.”

While Baucom remembers it fondly, skipping school is definitely not a recommended strategy. He also recalls the long hallway that housed all grades, Mr. Montgomery, and Mrs. Dutton's third- or fourth-grade classroom, the same area his granddaughter teaches in now.

Some memories still stand out vividly.

“I used to have a lot of earaches,” Baucom recalled. “The teacher would have me lay my head on the radiator grate along the counter.”

That’s something you can’t do anymore, not just because it wouldn’t happen today, but because the classroom no longer has those radiators. Recess back then meant exploring the woods behind the gym, scrapes and thorns in tow. Today, students head to playgrounds instead—still all fun, just a little safer.

When Lowder moved into her classroom, her grandfather walked with her through the building, pointing out what had changed and what remained the same.

“It’s special,” he said. “I love that she’s teaching where I once sat, and I even got to help her set up her first classroom.”

That connection fuels Lowder’s approach to teaching. She sees herself as part of a long line of learners who have walked through New Salem’s doors, and is determined to prepare her students with the same sense of stability and belonging her grandfather once felt.

That preparation begins long before the first bell rings. Each summer, Lowder spends days carefully organizing her classroom—labeling supplies, arranging routines, and building colorful displays that make the space feel like home.

“I spend more time here than at my house,” she explained. “I want it to be welcoming for me, for my students and for anyone who walks in.”

But the heart of her preparation comes in the way she teaches routines.

“The first week is all about the basics—how to line up, how to sit on the carpet, how to sharpen a pencil,” she said. “We practice over and over because, later, those little routines allow us to focus on learning. If we can transition smoothly, we can spend more time on what really matters.”

That balance of structure and warmth defines her classroom. She front-loads her students each morning with the day’s plan, knowing some children thrive on predictability. She holds them accountable to routines but also builds joy into their lessons—sticky mustaches to “taste” different genres of books, bright displays featuring student work and simple celebrations for small successes.

Her grandfather sees that same commitment echoed through the school’s history.

“When I was a student, we didn’t have backpacks or computers. We just brought paper and pencils,” Baucom said. “But kids still looked out for each other and the teachers cared. It’s nice to see that some things, like that love for children, haven’t changed.”

Lowder’s love of teaching runs deep. Growing up, she begged her mom, also a teacher, for the chance to tag along on workdays. Later, she worked in a daycare and saw firsthand how children grow from infants into kindergartners. Those experiences confirmed what she had always known: teaching was her calling.

Today, her second-graders benefit not just from her energy and preparation but from a legacy that stretches back generations. She’s teaching in the same halls her grandfather once walked, carrying forward a tradition of learning while shaping new memories for her students.

“It’s rewarding in ways you can’t put into words,” Lowder said. “When a child looks at you at the end of a hard day and says, ‘I love you, bye,’—that makes everything worth it. And tomorrow, we start again.”

At New Salem Elementary, the past and present meet in Lowder’s classroom. With routines carefully planned, lessons filled with joy and a family legacy woven into its walls. She is writing her own chapter in her family’s story, while helping her students begin theirs.