Alyssa Sonnier

Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a teacher because I wanted to connect with and shape our future generations. Middle school is a rough time for most kids, including myself, so I wanted to be one of the people that reminded students their feelings, hopes, and dreams were valid and I believed in them.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

My most memorable teaching experience is when I met up with a former student, who had just graduated high school, and she expressed to me how much support and inspiration I gave her. She had a rough home life, not having her parents around and living with a grandparent. She expressed how much support and love she felt from me when she was in my class, reminding me how important those connections to our students are. She developed a love for reading during my class, which she still feeds today.

What would you do with the $25,000?

With $25,000 I would expand my classroom library, including physical books and e-book readers. I would also purchase digital books to expand my digital library. While expanding my classroom library is important to me, I would also want to expand our school library with both physical books and e-book readers so that all students at my school have access to whatever kinds of books interest them. I would also want to buy seating for the library, making it more welcoming.