Hanny Tiesi

Tell us why you became a teacher

I was terrible in Math when I was young. When I was in eighth grade, my Algebra 1 teacher really taught me Math by relating real life examples to the lesson. I became interested in Math. However, I went on to become an engineer and were successful. 20 years ago, my daughter asked me what was my dream. I told her that I would like to be my Algebra 1 teacher. I went back to school to get my Masters of Education, Secondary Math

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

My first year teaching was at Jefferson High School in Montgomery. The students were mostly African American students. I said to myself if I survived that school, I would handle students anywhere. One day, I arrived at my desk and found a rubber rat on my desk. I picked it up and said "Hmm, do you realize that in my country, I would cut rats up, stir fry with soy sauce and eat it with rice." You should see the look of my students' face. I was joking and never had any issue after that.

What would you do with the $25,000?

If I would win $25,000, I would upgrade technology (smartboards and graphing calculators) for the Math department at my school. Not everyone has access to these and we should have them available to provide the best equipments in our classrooms for our students.