Tell us why you became a teacher

Growing up, I may not have known what I wanted to be, but I KNEW I did NOT want to be a teacher. However, I have always loved history. During college, I took a lot of history courses that I didn't need for my degree, but were of interest to me. When I lost my job in the crash of 2008, I began substitute teaching, and found my calling. All of the classes that didn't contribute to my degree were tremendously helpful in allowing me to pursue my teaching certification in social studies!

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

Its not a specific event or day, but an entire school year. The 2017-2018 school year began with a solar eclipse. Then, we had a hurricane. Then, a student attempted suicide on our campus. Both of my grandparents passed away. Finally, the week before school was out, there was a devastating school shooting just a few miles away. My classes became like a family that year. We laughed, we cried, we celebrated, we learned. It was a reminder that teaching is about more than the curriculum.

What would you do with the $25,000?

As unexciting as this sounds, I would save it. It would go into a nice, tidy savings account, to be used for my daughters' educations.