Tell us why you became a teacher

As a child, I often times played with my siblings. We played as if we were adults and made neighbors out of different shoes, tape cassettes, boxes and more. Each time we played, I always played the role of being a teacher. I would educate the make-believe community and let everyone know the word of the day. As an adult, it was a bumpy road with ups and downs, but with perseverance I became an English teacher that currently shares that word of day with my students. I teach and love every moment!

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

My most memorable teaching experience is working with my literature students and seeing how having their first male African American teacher builds their interest in Literature and makes them want to try harder and focus on doing their best. At first, I thought that my presence would only interest the students that look like me, but I have had just as much interest and improvement in learning from students that do not look like me as those who do. It is so important to me to be a great model!

What would you do with the $25,000?

I do so much for my students and fellow teachers such as providing notebooks, paper, pencils, snacks, reading materials, teaching techniques and more that they often times do not have, cannot afford, or simply need help with. I would like to do something for me this time. It will be a very hard task for me to complete, but every so often, everyone should do something for themselves when they can. What? After the shock of winning, I think that I would go to a retreat to relax and release.