Sandy Hook teacher describes how she kept her students safe during shooting

Newtown, Conn. (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) A teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School recounted the steps she took to protect her classroom after a 20-year-old gunman forced his way into the school.

Shari Burton placed angels on the top of two trees on Saturday morning in memorial for the students and staff members she knew and loved.

Shari was in her second grade classroom on that fateful morning when she heard a noise.

"I heard what sounded like glass broke. I went out to see what that was, I realized it was not glass. It was gun shots. I turned around went back into my room," Shari recounts. "I herded my 16 kids to a safe corner, called 911, listened to the instructions, and waited for help."

Shari and another classroom teacher kept the 16 children calm as a gunman went on a shooting rampage through her school.

"Kids are resilient. We gave them books, we held hands, we told them they were okay," says Shari.

Shari's son, daughter, and husband are all first responders. While she was inside the school with her students, they feared for her safety as they worked to keep others safe.

"It was very scary," says Shari's daughter, Kelly. "We had had contact because she had her cell phone on her, so I knew she had made it out safe. Our biggest worry after was making sure everyone else could stay safe."

While residents of Newtown, including Shari, continue to process exactly what happened on Friday, they all share the belief that they will survive and they will go on.

"We will get through this. I've lost friends, I've lost students that I've worked with," says Shari.

Cox Media Group