Gena Hatfield

Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a teacher to work with kids that struggled and needed extra attention. I was a special education teacher for 20 years and now I am a high school math teacher. I love working with kids who struggle with math and seeing the look on their face when they finally get it.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

I think one of my most memorable experiences was working with a student with emotional disabilities that wanted to drop out of high school. Myself and another teacher worked consistently with the student to convince him to stay in high school and graduate. Watching him walk across the stage and get his diploma was one of my most memorable evenings.

What would you do with the $25,000?

There are a few things I would do with $25,000. I would really like to donate enough to the school I currently work with to help him set up some type of transportation for students that struggled to get to school. I would also like to pay off some bills and go to Australia to visit my family that lives there.