When I was younger, I did not always excel at school. I had amazing teachers that were patient with me and helped me through my struggles to become successful. In high school, when choosing a college path, I reminisced on the positive teachers that influenced my life.

Teaching for 17 years means I do not have one memorable experience, but rather thousands of students that have imprinted in my heart. Every time I see a past student that gives me a hug or thanks me for helping them through a hard time in their life is a memorable and enriching part of my career.

On a yearly basis, I spend thousands in my classroom to make sure my students are engaged and having an enriching experience. I would spend a portion of the 25,000 to buy my school a planetarium to use on a daily basis. As a 5th grade teacher, we teach about stars but it is often an extremely expensive field trip with busing and being the end of the year- it is difficult to take our students. I would love to allow our students to go into our gym and experience it yearly.