Tell us why you became a teacher

As a child, I struggled in school with the traditional style of teaching. I remember sitting in a classroom, listening to the teacher teach all day, struggling to pay attention. In college, I stumbled upon a quote by Benjamin Franklin that inspired my style of teaching; “Tell me and I forget, Teach me and I remember, Involve me and I learn.” When I became a teacher, I vowed to take a different approach to teaching for my students because I wanted a better learning experience for them.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

One of my most memorable teaching experience is the time I had a student who posted on social media a video of her modeling how to teach a two-digit by two-digit multiplication lesson. What made it so memorable was HOW she taught the lesson: like me. She used my mannerism, my facial expressions, and my passion for teaching. She also made a video of the lesson because at the time, I was posting math videos on YouTube teaching the new methods to parents and students who were struggling with math.

What would you do with the $25,000?

If I won the $25,000, I would like to donate some of the money to my campus to go towards our students and teachers whether it’s for field trips, incentives for perfect attendance and honor roll awards, new library books, supplies for our students and teachers, and professional development for our teachers.