Tiffany Schiff

What is your favorite part of being an educator?

My favorite part of teaching is when a students face lights up when they understood what I taught...especially in Math. It’s truly a gift to be an educator and I love each and every day. Our school day starts at 7:30am but I come in at 5am daily to make sure I have everything I need for every student that day. My students are my gifts and I’m honored to be their teacher.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience.

This year has been the hardest, but that is because these 5th graders were at the prime hit of the pandemic and lost a lot of phonics and basic math skills. I’ve truly had to change my teaching style and differentiate every subject I teach. I offer free tutoring to some of my students to get them caught up. I am proud to say that 90% of my 44 students are at grade level now with their standardized testing. It honestly brought me to tears of joy. They're learning and absorbing the lessons taught.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I’m currently earning my credentials in special education and it would greatly help to use this money to pay for my tuition bills. I have a daughter in college now and a son going next year and I feel guilty that I’ve been digging into their college savings to earn my special education license, but it is an area I’m passionate about on top of my elementary education. I would definitely use it to help pay for tuition costs and bills. I’d be forever grateful.