Heather Juker

Connect What is your favorite part of being an educator?

I really and truly believe in the "Aha!" moment, the magical time when a student makes a connection between what they know and what they are learning. Any time I hear a student say "Ohhh!" or "Ahhh!", it renews my love of teaching. I can have a lousy day, where hardly anything goes right, and as soon as a student says "Oh, I've got it now!", it instantly brightens my day.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience.

The creation of the "Kindness Bandits" happened after my students were loudly complaining about their new seat assignments. The room was full of negativity and rather than give them a lecture, I asked them to come up with a way to spread kindness. I had leftover flowers from a project and the students asked if they could give them to the teachers in the building and thank them. The students returned to the classroom full of enthusiasm, with ideas and a request to do more acts of kindness.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I set a goal to visit all 50 states before I turn 51, and I am 4 states away from reaching that goal. Next, I would travel to Ireland and Italy for family history. I would also pay off some bills and then invest part of the money. Finally, a donation would help the Mustang Stable, my school's community resource room where students, families, and community are connected with access to resources, educational opportunities, mental health support, food, clothing, and hygiene products, and hope.