Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a teacher because I never lost the ability to understand how it feels to be a student! Even with nearly 30 years of teaching, I skip in the door each morning. I have the most important and wonderful job in the world. I would do it if they stopped paying me.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

My most memorable moment came when I was closing my room down for the summer. I received an email from a student I had had in honors Biology. This student was critically stabbed in the liver during a drug deal gone bad. I tried to contact him to no avale. When he back to school. He was so stressed out. I knelt down and told him he was more than what had happened. He could learn from it and move on. He told me in email he was going to quit that day but me talking to him changed his mind!

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would spend the majority of money helping my students realize their career goals. I would frugally spend some of the money on myself. I have learned that in order to be my best for my students selfcare and reenergizing is incredibly important for me to give 100%.