Terry Wood

Tell us why you became a teacher

I loved school and learning new things. I knew at a very young age that education was the only thing that would take me out of poverty. I had seven siblings and ended up being a first generation college student. I did drop out and became a mother but after having four children and then adopting three siblings, my husband convinced me to return to school. I graduated magna cum laude and won the Student Teacher of the Year award for my class. I never looked back!

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

One of the most memorable teaching experience occurred when I was teaching a multiage 3/4 class. I would introduce math concepts with the whole group and then differentiate the assignments based on abilities. Well, my third graders got so interested in the fourth graders lesson and asked if they could try the long division problems. The excitement on their faces is still an image that I will never forget. Many were successful and continued to always ask if they could do the ‘hard’ work!

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would probably purchase an updated microscope for my students. We just completed an owl pellet (located on our island) dissection unit and our microscope, and slides are quite dated. I would also bring my students on a field trip based on their interests (ornithologists) and some miscellaneous supplies. Not sure what else at this time!