Lacey Robinson

Tell us why you became a teacher

I was not a fan of school when I was a child. I spent a lot of time pretending to be sick in the nurses office so I didn't have to be in the classroom. My goal as a teacher is to encourage students to want to learn and be in class. I want my students to enjoy coming to school and look forward to learning new things through various learning opportunities like projects.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

About 10 years ago I was able to take three of my students to Washington, DC for a leadership conference. I was teaching in a very low socioeconomic school, and these three students had never even been on a plane before! I was able to fund the trip and all of the supplies needed. I recently learned that one of them was accepted to Berkley and another one was accepted to UCLA. I'd like to believe that participating in that trip helped them develop a desire to succeed!

What would you do with the $25,000?

My wife and I are huge Disney fans and we love to travel. We would use the money to travel to Asia and go to the three Disney Parks there - Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tokyo - and visit all the tourist spots. I'm sure a good part of the rest of the money would somehow funnel into our classrooms!