Tell us why you became a teacher

At the age of 8 I used my Barbie dolls to play teacher. I guess I was always meant to be a teacher. Every job I had involved kids; children’s clothing stores, children’s room library worker, summer camp counselor, and babysitter. Needless to say, I had a lot of experience for the child development classes in college. I had some great teachers in my life, and I had some not so great teachers. I was determined to be that “great” educator that children need. I was born to be a teacher.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

After 29 years, there are so many memorable moments. Watching the “A ha!” moments are always rewarding, whether it is my special education students using robot friends, or my bilingual students learning translation strategies, my job is to help ALL students succeed. The best moment was finding out one of my former students received a college scholarship based on an essay she wrote about how I influenced her life. I was so touched and she went on to become a teacher as well.

What would you do with the $25,000?

Well this is an easy answer, help reduce my debt. Since teachers don’t make much, Visa and Mastercard are the two things I rely on most, but they come with steep consequences. I don’t like the word no, so if something is needed for my students or my class, I provide it myself. I also seek out professional learning opportunities and have to fund most of those myself. The money would make a huge difference and help both me and my family. Thank you for your consideration.