Tell us why you became a teacher

Honestly, a college professor changed my life. I was an interior decorator through college, and had to take The Study of Poetry for another English credit. Dr. Paul Ruffin was so inspiring! I changed my major within two weeks of meeting him and began thinking ”I wonder if I could inspire kids in the same manner?” Thirty years later, and I still love teaching kids. I still hear from the kids I first taught and I am reminded that I do make a difference!

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

So many stories over the years! We were studying A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini and had just concluded our Socratic Seminar. One of my students was crying and asked if she could speak to me after class. She informed me that she was homeless, and we just hugged for a few minutes. The literature stirred something in her, and boy was I glad I could serve as more than a teacher for those few minutes.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I could afford renovations to my home that are much needed, help my child with tuition for college in another year, and buy more books for my classroom so that more students can be inspired by literature.