Tell us why you became a teacher

I think I knew from a baby. My aunt, Susan, was a teacher. She would let me go to school with her, grade her papers, and I always got the sets of books when they were old, teacher edition included!! I was a CT tech, but I was always missing something.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

A few years ago, I had this young man. He came to my room every morning mad. I worked all year with him. He thought I hated him and so did his family. I called home and pretty much begged for an opportunity to connect with this kid. And then everything changed. I learned so much with this student. Today he hugs me at least once a day. I cheer for him and we laugh about how he once thought I hated him. Everything I have done from that year since has been based on what I learned there.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would use a huge part of this to go towards school. There are some classes that I really want to do. I would like to improve our PBIS programs in my school. I would upgrade my car, a Honda with 245k miles and running like a CHAMP.