I wanted to impact at least one student in the way my past teachers impacted me. I’ve also always loved learning, reading, and helping people; so teaching English seemed like the natural career. However, I have a passion for equitable education that inspired me to first become a teacher as a stepping stone to bigger opportunities in the education field to make changes to the system. I believe you have to know firsthand what it’s like IN the classroom if you want to be in a leadership position.

I teach Animal Farm every year to my honors ELA class, and I try a mock trial at the end of the unit. I finally managed to “perfect” the mock trial. Every student had a structured role, they used evidence from the book, they actually understood the court system, and we had a fully functioning jury AND audience (my former students in the 7th grade!) Getting to listen to the trial was so. much. fun. Spoiler: Napoleon was found NOT GUILTY. My shy, nervous judge even told me it was the best project.

$25,000 would do a lot for me: I could pay off a lot of my student loan debt from undergrad, I could pay for my current master’s classes more easily, and I could buy all the books my students and I want for my classroom library. What I think I would really do with it though is give most of it to my school to get us some renovations. Can $25,000 give us at least one more classroom? Or at least another staff bathroom?