Transcript for Connecticut Shooting: Teacher Kaitlin Roig Protected Her Students

have met people who remind us what teachers do, how much they care, even in the face of terror. I sat down with a first-grade teacher at that school, caitlin roric, she heard gunfire, large windows exploded in her classroom. He got 15 small children into a tiny bathroom to try to save their lives. I put one of my students on top of the toilet. I just knew we had to get in there. I was telling them it's going to be okay, you're going to be all right. I pulled the book shelf before i closed the door in front of it. Did you tell them to be quiet? Oh, yes, I told them to be absolutely quiet. Because I was just so afraid if he did come in, he would hear us and start shooting the door. I said we have to be absolutely quiet. And I said there are bad guys out there now. I just wanted us to be okay. And I was so so saddened that there are people who in this situation are not okay. And my heart, my heart goes out to anyone who knew them and was part of their lives. I can't imagine. Did they cry? If they started crying, i would take their face and say it's going to be okay. Show me your smile. Like I really tried to, you know, and one of my students was saying, I know karate, so it's okay, I'll lead the way out. They said, we want to go home for christmas? Yes, yeah. I just want to hug my mom, things like that that were just heart breaking. And in my mind -- because you're hearing -- I've never been a part of something obviously anywhere near this traumatic. And so I'm hearing the gunfire in the hallway and I'm thinking in my mind, I'm the first classroom, why isn't he coming? In my mind, I'm thinking as a six or seven-year-old what are your thoughts? I'm thinking that I almost have to be the parent, like I have to tell them -- I said to them, i need you to know that I love you all very much and that it's going to be okay because i thought that was the last thing we were ever going to hear. I thought we were all going to die. I don't know if that's just teachers, but I wanted them to know -- I wanted that to be one of the last things they heard, not the gunfire in the hallway. It's just horrible. How did you know you were going to be okay? I didn't. What finally happened, the gunfire stopped. It wasn't that long. I said, no, we're staying here until someone comes to get us out. So what happened was, the police came and started knocking and obviously, I mean, I was completely beside myself. I said, I don't believe you. You need to put your badges under the door. So they put their badges under the door. I said, if you're really a police officer, then you would have a way to get in here with a key or -- you would have found the keys. So he had the keys and unlocked the door and then they brought us out with the rest of the teachers and students waiting for parents to come and pick them up. I think there are a lot of people who wish -- want all the teachers to know how much it means to them, how much they care about their children. How could you not? You know, thank you. And she only spoke, she said, because she wants us to know this is a school of teachers who care so much about each other and their students. She wanted to pay tribute to all of them tonight. And she is praying for all those who are grieving.

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