Tell us why you became a teacher

When I was in 3rd grade my parents got me a tutor. I hated school and couldn't understand the skills I was supposed to learn. My tutor, Marty, helped me make sense of it all. I learned that there was more than one way to understand how to do the work. When I became an adult and had my own son and saw him struggling, I vowed I was going to be the teacher to help kids like learning, to get something out of it. When my son turned 9, my dream of becoming a teacher came true.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

I switched from a private, suburban school to an inner city public school. I had no idea what I was doing. I started in kindergarten and got switched to 4th grade a month in. I had a rough group, many behaviors. My memorable moment was when one of my kiddos who had a tough exterior, wrote an apology to a classmate on his own and told me he loved me. Knowing they trust me is everything.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I have found that my students work best on full bellies. I try to have parents donate snacks, but I only have a few that are able. So, with my paycheck, I buy snacks, water, paper towels, etc. It has been difficult to keep up on all of these weekly purchases. I would love to be able to buy more supplies for my classroom; I'd also love to pay off some of the debt I've been in since becoming a teacher.