Tell us why you became a teacher

My teaching journey began with an internal spark—call it inspiration or influence—that ignited when I was a young girl. I loved being around people, but I was shy and rarely spoke, relying on my twin sister to do the talking for me. When I was in Kindergarten, that spark started to ignite. That moment came when my teacher asked a question, and I eagerly raised my hand to answer. My classmates clapped and cheered, and that was when my inspiration for teaching began.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

My most memorable teaching experience would be when I had a student that had a behavior problem in the classroom. I asked him during recess the next day to sit on the bench and stay off the court for a day to think about his actions. He decided to come out and sit on a different bench instead of the one asked. I told him that he would have to sit out again the next day. The following day, he sat on the right bench without instruction so I walked up and told him thank you and let him play.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would spend the $25,000 on my classroom supplies and I would also take my family on a well deserved vacation. I teach Health Education so I am always in need of supplies for the students. I would love to purchase Fitbits for the students for the mile run. I would also like to purchase some small skeletons to use in our classroom for bellwork and other fun body system activities. My family is always there for me so I would also like to spend the reward money on a trip of their choice.