Connect Tell us why you became a teacher

I originally wanted to be a physician to help kids, but quickly realized while I enjoyed the science of medicine my heart was really with interacting with kids. There are few aspects of my day that are more fulfilling than spending time with my students.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

We recently had a local meteorologist visit my school to talk to my 6th grade students. We had watched her daily forecasts for the last few weeks, so my students knew who she was prior to her attending. When I announced to the students about her arrival that day, the look of joy and excitement was one of the most amazing things I had ever seen. It is rare to see middle school students excited about anything at school, let alone an optional talk about meteorology during their recess period.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would restart a book report competition that my father use to do during the summer to encourage local children to read. When he put this on, he would have my siblings and I evaluate the various reports for the winner of each age group. Then, as a prize, every child who participated was purchased a book that was close to the same genre that their report was on. Going around the store to try and choose the perfect book for each of these kids is one of my key memories of childhood.