Tell us why you became a teacher

I have always been a leader and I’ve always liked working with kids. I had some tough experiences learning math myself and I remember feeling slow at math and I didn’t understand the strategies the way the teacher taught them. As a teacher, I always make room for trying different ways to learn things and focus less on speed and more on the work it takes to get to the answer!

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

A student from one of my first few years teaching reached out to me via email and invited me to her high school graduation. I was her 4th grade teacher so it really meant a lot that she remembered me. It is so important to me that kids know how much they are cared about, that it sticks from when they’re 9 to when they’re 18!

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would buy so many books!! I love having a stocked library at home and in my classroom. I love to read. I always take recommendations from students and fill up my classroom library with their favorite books, but it’s expensive! You can get a lot of books with $25,000!