Bailey Read

Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a secondary teacher because my middle and high school years were the hardest of my life, and I made it through because of a few teachers at the time. Secondary teachers don’t often receive praise for the way we take care of our students, but nurturing and loving teens can change the trajectory of their lives like my teachers did for me.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

Oddly, my favorite year teaching was 2021, returning from COVID. We had so many new protocols and procedures, but it was so much fun to navigate new challenges. My absolute favorite part of teaching is helping kids find books that actually love and watching them just read for fun! That year, my kids always wanted to read around the room but we couldn’t because of the safety protocols, so we went outside with books and spread out across the grass. We called it “book picnics.”

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would love to put this money away in my daughter’s savings account. As a teacher, there’s not much extra money for me to put away for her after our expenses are paid. My daughter is 3, and I would love to have this to put my mind at ease for her future. I have been very worried about not being able to save, but this would help ease that guilt and worry tremendously.