Tell us why you became a teacher

I chose to get my degree in education after working in my local school system for about 10 years in different capacities. My children were in elementary school and I was barely making end meet. I took a free class at a local college and I was hooked on education and becoming an elementary school teacher.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

I was teaching science in the after school program. I plan several station activities about gravity. One of the stations led the students to create a catapult that would launch a miniature marshmallow with items like popsicle sticks, rubber bands, cardboard, etc. After the construction, the students asked to see which catapults would launch the marshmallows the fartherest. Later in a parent called to say her son was outside building a life sized catapult. This made my heart happy.

What would you do with the $25,000?

Use some of it to pay on my student loan and give a portion of it to the CTAE department at my school for the food science class and science department.