Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a teacher beachside as a student I had a learning disability. It was hard for me to process information in school. When thinking about what to do with my life I thought about the teachers that really took the time to help me understand the material and made learning meaningful. I wanted to be there for those kids who also learn just like I did. I also was bullied a lot for my learning disability, the teachers I had made sure that I knew they were there for me.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

I work in a title 1 school. Most of my students are under grade level because they do not have the same opportunities as other districts because of their background. I had a student who could not retain anything and needed a lot of help with assignments. When we took state testing for the second time in the school year she grew 15 points because we worked on material that she needed to understand the questions on the test. I was so proud of her and she felt good about herself too.

What would you do with the $25,000?

What I plan on doing with the money is I want to buy more materials for my school and classroom. Because we are a title 1 school we get less funding from the government. I would like to be able to get those materials for my students so they are able to get the best learning they can get and get those same opportunities.