Merilee Schrader

Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a Special Education teacher to help support and guide the students in that population and be the supporter they never had. I grew up with a nephew who had a severe learning disability and watched my sister struggle with him. I helped as much as I knew how and from there, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in special education. I had a rough childhood. A lot of my teachers did not realize the struggle behind my eyes and I wanted to be that caring teacher to students.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

My most memorable teaching experience was when I was trying to help a student understand his emotions and why he feels some of the anger inside. This particular student would react to his anger and lash out by hitting, kicking, or ripping stuff off the walls. One day, he came over to me in frustration and grabbed his head and said, "my brain feels like it's going to explode." This made me extremely proud because he didn't react. Instead, he used his voice and communicated with me how he was felt

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would buy a new library for my classroom, add more clothes, shoes, socks, underwear, toothbrushes to my cabinets for my students, upgrade my classroom calming furniture, and put some money aside for updates for my class when needed.