Tell us why you became a teacher

At an early age, I was curious about a lot of things and loved learning. My hope was that I would be able to help my students learn to love learning and to be curious about the life around them. As my teaching career advanced this has changed to helping students find their purpose, learn who they are and to find a passion, other than their devices. Students today need to know they matter and that they can and are able to contribute to the community they live in.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

I had a student a few years ago that I was warned would be a challenge and that might be difficult. I am happy to say that even though he truly loved learning about dinosaurs and becoming a dinosaur, I learned a lot about myself. This student challenged me. They taught me what type of teacher I was able to be. He would hide under tables, make awful noises that would make you think we need to evacuate the room, but he trusted that I would keep him safe and eventually learn.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would use the prize money to support my classroom. We are in desperate need of a new morning meeting rug, basic supplies of pencils and markers. If there was something left for me, a spa day would be in order to relax and recharge for my students.