Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a teacher because my son had an IEP and every meeting, it was just negativity. I decided that I would become a Special Education teacher to prove to them that every student has something special to add to their school and that each parent know that their child is important. I did not feel that way so now I need to make sure other parents out there feel that every IEP is a chance to reflect, not demean.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

My most memorable experience was when I was co-teaching IM1 and a new student who was from Mexico and had not been in school for a few years was placed in our class. She started to cry. She did not understand the math and panicked. I took her outside and told her we would not fail her. We started teaching her the basics, then moved on to help her develop her math skills. After 3 years, she still comes into my classroom, and she will remind me about this.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would use it as a down payment on a house. I have been trying to buy a house, and with the economy, I have had no such lucky in saving enough money to give my own children (who go to school with me) a place of our own. I worked hard to become teacher of the year this year, and I want to be close to this community that I have helped build.