Leslie McClintock

I initially wanted to be a teacher so that I could be just like my kindergarten-second grade teacher, Mrs. Minzlaff. I loved her so much! As I grew up, my driving reading changed; simply put, I wanted to make a difference. Specifically, I wanted to make a difference in the lives of underprivileged students. As I learned more about the inequities within our education system, I felt that I needed to try and change that, even if it was in a small way. That has been my driving force ever since.

How could I choose just one? Teaching kindergarten for many years, the most memorable thing is always when my babies learn to read. Watching them learn how to put sounds together to read the words in a book, and then eventually become fluent enough to know the words with automaticity, always make me feel such pride in their perseverance to do something that is so hard (as our brains are not wired to learn to read). Kindergarten graduations are always very memorable, and emotional, too!

I would do several things with $25,000. I recently had my first child (November 23), so I would set some of the money aside for his education. I would use some of the money for supplies for the students at my school as well as the teachers. The rest of the money I would put into our savings and our checking account so that we could use it for the day-to-day things we need. I would probably do a little online shopping for myself too, as my pre-baby clothes don’t quite fit.