Tell us why you became a teacher

I've always wanted to be teacher, to the point where I volunteered to teach an after school writing program to elementary schoolers when I was in high school and was a teacher's assistant in Sunday school. When I was young, I liked the idea of helping other students find the same enjoyment, creativity, and opportunities that I did in school. As I grew older that was still true, but I also realized just how important public schools are to this country, even with their flaws.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

My first year teaching was at an alternative high school. We had low attendance and a lot of students did not feel positively about school. I wanted to help them see the connection between their interests and what we were learning in my English class (elegy, for a poetry unit), so I put two poems on the board for them to compare: "Life Goes On" by Tupac Shakur and "To Any Dead Officer" by Siegfried Sassoon. It had my entire class up at the board making connections, annotating, and discussing.

What would you do with the $25,000?

Inevitably, some of it will go towards my classroom. I always spend a lot of my own money every year on things I don't technically need, but which will enrich my students experience. This year alone I've probably spent hundreds on books, materials for creative projects, and extra supplies. I'd really like to pay for driving classes because I never learned how to drive... 😅 The rest would go into a savings account because my husband and I are planning to have a child in the next couple of years!