TEMECULA - Three days after returning home from the hospital after suffering a heart attack in October, Barbara Nelson wasn't so much worried about her recuperation as she was about her students.

"I was thinking, 'Oh, I've got to get back; what are my kids doing? A sub can't teach them ceramics!'" Nelson said.

Nelson, an art teacher at Erle Stanley Gardner Middle School, is back in the classroom.

"I am fine, better than ever," the 62-year-old said.

For Nelson, nothing feels better than to be in front of a room full of students, she said.

"It's a blessing to work with kids," she said. "I am fortunate to do something that I love with a subject I love. I am passionate about art and kids. They are inspiring, and teach me a lot each day."

Nelson's passion has led her to be honored as one of 10 regional finalists for the 2007 California League of Middle School's educator of the year award.

She and nine other teachers from across Riverside and San Bernardino counties were selected as finalists by a panel of their peers.

Her students said she deserves the recognition.

"Mrs. Nelson is very skilled in art, and she is a very nice teacher," said seventh-grader Adessa Walker, 12. "She helps out those who need help."

Eighth-grader Hailey Shaw, 13, said Nelson has helped her "become a better artist."

Nelson has been teaching for nearly four decades, and in Temecula since 1983, when there were only two campuses in the area. She said her classroom philosophy is to nurture students and give them the tools they need to contribute to the world around them.

"Sometimes we don't know who we affect as teachers," she said. "A student popped up behind my car one time and said, 'I just want to thank you because last year I was thinking of committing suicide and you told us we were all special and individual, and I took that to heart and reconsidered.'"

Nelson said she works to leave a legacy beyond the classroom.

"That's the really great part about teaching - you reach kids you don't even know about," she said.

In addition to classroom work, she mentors teachers, is often involved with developing various curriculum, trains teachers on writing lesson plans, and leads Associated Student Body groups.

She also is a professional artist and occasionally has her work shown in local and national art galleries and shows.

As a teacher of teachers, Nelson has, in the recent past, instructed peers on behalf of The California Arts Project, the Getty Education Institute for the Arts and the Palm Springs Art Museum.

Gardner Middle School Assistant Principal Patricia Mathis, who nominated Nelson, said teachers look to Nelson as a mentor. When news spread of Nelson's honor, more than 30 teachers e-mailed Mathis praising the California League of Middle Schools for the decision to recognize her, Mathis said.

In introducing Nelson at an awards dinner in December to honor her and the nine other regional finalists, Mathis said Nelson is a "lifelong learner and educator, who models her mission for peers and students, inspiring countless people to give back to their world."

"I couldn't have written the nomination if she wasn't the person and teacher she is," Mathis said in a recent interview.

When Nelson fell ill recently, students showered her doorstep with get-well cards and other gifts.

"When she was gone, we all made her a big card to tell her how much we missed her and to tell her to get better," said seventh-grader Layton Torres, 13. "Art is fun … and she tells us how to do it."

- Contact staff writer Jennifer Kabbany at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2625, or jkabbany@californian.com.