Regardless of whether they're awake or still half asleep, Jen Morgan greets all students in her advanced algebra class at Old Mill Middle South School with a high-five and a smile.

"Good morning, guys, good morning," she said recently at 9 a.m. Calling after two students who sneaked past her, "George, you're looking sleepy ... Good morning, Emily."

"It's all about the high-fives," said Mrs. Morgan, who was named Educator of the Month for October by the county school board. "I don't want them to get lost. If I talk to them every day, then they have someone they're talking to every day."

The attention Mrs. Morgan gives to...