I became a teacher because of my third grade teacher, Mrs. Medved. She was kind, held high expectations, and told me I could be anything I wanted to be. I believed her. I would come home and play school, pretending to be just like her. Now, in my hardest moments as a teacher, I still think to myself, “What would Mrs. Medved have done?” And somehow, that always helps guide me back to what matters most—being kind, believing in my students, and helping them see all that they can become.

For years, our magical team turned The Polar Express into real life. We transformed the coop into a train car, children arriving in pajamas, the air rich with cocoa and cookies donated by local businesses. Parents, dressed in black and white, served with a smile. We sang, acted, and tossed snow into the air. For a moment, we were inside the story—and every child slipped away from their world, into imagination.

I’m a single mother working to catch up on bills, including attorney fees from my divorce. Even in this season, I want to give back, by investing $5,000 to start a scholarship through the Ridgefield Public School Foundation, in asking for a partnership with the YWCA or a similar group, to support a student who has overcome difficult odds and is ready to pursue trade school or college.