Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a teacher because I wanted to help students learn to read and help them understand the English language and the spelling patterns behind our language. I serve many ESOL learners in my class. My goal is to send them and my entire class to 2nd grade being confident readers.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

My most memorable teaching moment was a few years ago when a child started my classroom with 3 words (yes, no, and bathroom). We started with simple noun flashcards with pictures and names each morning for him to gain confidence in speaking. We then worked daily on his reading with letters and sounds of our alphabet. At the end of the year he was so confident with his English, writing, and speaking that I had to give him a (P) in talking in Q4. It was actually a joy to see his confidence.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would spend some of the money on my classroom buying more books for my classroom library and more decodable readers for students to keep and read at home. I would also spend some of the money on our girls college funds and our retirement as well.