Tell us why you became a teacher

I’ve always wanted to be a safe place for children to learn and grow, and someone they trust to be authentically themselves around. I love building a community and a “classroom family away from home” with my students, helping them reach their full potential and to learn, discover, make mistakes and grow ..with guidance and support. I want them to know that in my classroom, they are valued and worthy of not just education but of love and respect too

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

My favorite teaching experiences are the ones where I get to take my students on field trips and the learning gets to take place outside the classroom, where they are exposed to something new they’ve never seen or done before. Taking them to see an orchestra or to a science museum and watching them light up when something new amazes them. The best part is when they are so amazed, they decide “that’s what they want to become when they grow up” … that real world learning connection

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would celebrate by throwing a pizza party for my students (since they’d be the reason for this whole process… and that’s what they asked for!) and since I'm driving a 19 year old car with chipped paint, that money would really help get me into something newer!! And then...there's always bills to be paid down