Julie Dally

Tell us why you became a teacher

I have always, ALWAYS wanted to be a teacher! Going through elementary and middle school, I was always the kid helping others get to the right page or reword their questions to help the teacher understand. I was often paired with firebrand students, my enthusiastic temperament a good balance for the disengaged. It was through these experiences that I honed my skills in forming connections with nontraditional students. After 22 years of teaching this is my strength.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

A few years ago, my students were reading paired texts. The novel included a protagonist witnessing a hate crime. The other was a factual informational text explaining medical shock, PTSD, and trauma’s physical and mental effects. Students dressed in medical gear—including aprons and goggles borrowed from our science lab— and used my daughter’s Doc Mc Stuffins’ medical center and doctor’s bag as props to diagnose the protagonist of the novel, citing text evidence from both texts.

What would you do with the $25,000?

Since 2019, I have worked hard to build a CharEd program. I have created two service learning projects that have my students working with elementary students. One includes adolescents delivering lessons on core values like Trustworthiness to a K-5 class that they visit 6x/year. The other service includes middle school volunteers providing “helping hands” during elementary specials. I would love to fund more SEL opportunities with specific focus on supporting future teachers/childcare workers.