A grade school teacher in North Plainfield, New Jersey recently celebrated her 100th birthday with her students.

A grade school teacher in North Plainfield, New Jersey recently celebrated her 100th birthday with her students.

That makes Agnes Zhelesnik the oldest teacher in the US.

Even though she said last year she might do retire when she’s 100, the woman the kids affectionately call ‘Granny’ hasn’t announced plans to do so.

She came to her career late due to her husband’s belief that it was best she stay home and watch the children.

After doing that and playing a lot of bridge, she took the school job teaching home economics at the age of 81.

She’s been there ever since, and in addition to teaching kids how to cook and sew, she gets to spend time with her daughter who is also an instructor at the school.

And, as much as she loves her students, they love her right back.

In fact, they’re the ones who organized the birthday celebration.

There were traditional elements like cake and candles, but Granny’s party also had a couple pretty rare highlights.

During the festivities, the school principal read aloud letters of well wishes from both New Jersey’s governor Chris Christie and President Barack Obama.