Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a teacher after hosting a summer camp at my business, at the time. I loved seeing the children learn. I loved the "aha" moments. Being a career changer, I left the corporate world for the world of teaching children. I love what I do because I love something about each of my students. By showing love, the rest happens easily because my students know I care. My love is teaching Science and STEM - and we love Bill Nye the Science Guy. We would love to have him visit!

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

Last year, one of my students played a prank on me. He approached me just before the start of class asking me for a bottle of water. I responded sarcastically,"Why don't you use gallon bottle." He snuck out with the bottle and filled it with water. He added a purple flavoring packet to the water. It was very noticeable only a few minutes after teaching. I laughed; the students laughed. It became the narrative writing prompt: purple water science mystery. Students had the best writing ever!

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would supply my science/STEM class with the following: 2 build it go-carts, 2-3 Build it and program it drones for drone competitions, 4-5 nice telescopes for our astronomy club, a couple battle bot kits, 4-6 setups for Esports (chairs,desks,gaming devices), and 2 Lego education kits for teaching collaboration with building and programming. If I had anything leftover, I would buy a new washer/dryer, an oven, and invest in my retirement in 10 years.