Kids must WANT to be in class. If they want to be there, they are one step closer to learning! I love my job. It's never boring!
Will Michael Thomas appear in Reader's Digest, win a trip to Hawaii, and take home $25,000? Voting resumes on May 6th at 2PM PDT.
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Learn MoreMy favorite part of being an educator is that moment when a kid realizes they are safe and welcome. They start to open up and show you the "real" version of themselves. Once I can figure out what drives their motor in the classroom, we are off and learning! Some kids are shy and quiet at first, but we eventually get them out of their shell and they are part of our classroom community. When they look forward to learning, I've done my job.
Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience.I think the most memorable moment as a teacher has to be when I was called, "grandma." Since I'm a guy, the class of third graders cracked up. The student in question simply shrugged and said, "Well, I love my grandma too." It made me feel like a million bucks. Who doesn't love and trust their grandma? I gave that child permission to call me grandma whenever she wanted. I ran into that student over ten years later. She just nodded and said, "What's up, grandma?" It made my day. She remembered.
What would you do with the $25,000?With this money, I would knock out the rest of my student loan payments. We've been making solid progress on them, but we aren't quite there yet. Getting rid of that monthly payment would be huge for us. Then, with any remaining money, I'd put as much as I could into college savings for my own three children. Maybe I'd use some for a big coffee card that would last a whole semester. A guy can dream! I plan on giving a couple scholarships for our DC and NYC trip. It would be great to help!
