I became a teacher because I like to show students that learning can be fun. My students get excited about what they’re learning, it makes me happy. To see a child gets so motivated to learn about a topic that they go home and research more or share their new knowledge with their families, is so fulfilling. Parent emails or conversations telling me that their child loves my class, or they hope their next child gets me, tells me that teaching was the perfect choice for me!

I tried to teach my kids respect for each other by using the phrase, “In this class, we are a family.” when one of them treats another with less than respect, I say “In this class, we are…” and the whole class chimes in, “a family.” The other day, when two students were arguing about how to do their presentation, another classmate who was walking by and overheard it reminded them to be nice to each other by using the same phrase. I smiled so big and was proud that they were reminding each other.

If I received the $25,000, I would use it to buy more hands-on science activities that connect to our units. This will give the students the ability to not only hear and see what we learn, but put their hands on examples to help solidify the information and help it become locked in. I would also buy more novels for us to read as a class. They have enjoyed it so much that we have run out of books. Finally, I would add decor in my room that would give them fun and inspiring areas work in groups.