Tell us why you became a teacher

I always enjoyed learning myself, and I’m told I cried when I didn’t start learning to read my first day of Kindergarten. There is an indescribable feeling when you see a child starting to realize the power of their mind and the feeling of grasping something new. It’s being able to see that light that makes it a wonderful vocation.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

Which year? Which student? There was the little boy who was in a wheelchair, and due to the positive relationships and encouragement he felt in my class, learned to ride a tricycle. There was the boy who fell in love with our writing workshop and wrote his own Stick Dog series. There is the way the students from every year have opened their hearts along with a china rabbit when we read The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Celebrating successes, seeing recitals… I can’t count just one.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would visit other cultures with my sons and share these experiences with my students. Being able to see, touch and understand the amazing people and places of the world can only make me a more sensitive, mindful, and knowledgeable educator. Exploration and inspiring ideas can launch from exploring the world.