Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a teacher because of my sisters. My dad was military, so we moved a lot. My youngest sister dreaded going to school; there would be constant tears and argument. I decided I wanted to be the teacher that kids looked forward to seeing and makes learning fun!

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

I will never forget my very first day in the classroom. One of my students wrote me a note saying that he loved me already and gave me the biggest, tightest hug. I knew that this was exactly what I was meant to be doing, where I was doing it.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would spend a lot of it paying for classroom materials. Anything from rewards to the cart to accommodating and comfortable furniture for the kids to use during lessons.