Anna Bassett

Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a teacher because I had a wonderful pre-k teacher who allowed me to teach the letter of the days. I was a very homesick child, and she knew that allowing me to help would calm me down and get my mind off of my mom. That assurance from her became what I needed to realize what my future career should be.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

My most memorable experience in teaching would have to be when I was first hired at a rougher school. They tried out all boy and all girl classes, and I ended up with all of the 7th grade boys. While that set up wasn’t as successful as they had hoped, there was one young man who struggled with outside pulls to gang life. He ended up passing my class and later wrote me a letter expressing his gratitude for my time and advice. He ended up choosing a better life for himself and chose to avoid gangs

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would use it to furnish my new home and to make a big meal for all of my classes. I would also use it to build my savings account.