Connect Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a teacher to work, teach, and learn from growing minds. I was lucky to realize at a young age that my gift was to connect with children and form positive, supportive relationships. The idea that one can influence the way a person thinks, reasons, and views the world is an amazing notion. The fact that my presence, words, or support can alter behavior, emotions, and/or most importantly, how we treat each other is a responsibility of teaching that keeps me coming back and why I started.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

During my first 4 years of teaching, I was teaching health education in a science room at a middle school. The science teacher had a lab set up which contained aluminum bins of flour used for baking. During that class, we were playing a review game in which students would race to the white board to write their answers. One student slipped and crashed into the bins of flour setting off an eruption of white powder throughout the class. We all laughed and I said, “review…check, memory…made!”

What would you do with the $25,000?

If this money is for personal use, I would divide it between my three daughters college saving accounts, pay off some bills, and invest. If this money had to be used for direct educational use, I would create 25, $1000 scholarships and hand them out to graduating seniors. Half of the scholarships would be awarded to students that completed an essay regarding what education means to their future, while the other half would be merit based on high school accomplishments.