Derek Rieman

Tell us why you became a teacher

Teaching always seemed like a rewarding job. Everyday a teacher gets to a school full of kids and make a difference. So many students struggle and it’s the teachers job to help make students feel comfortable and confident in school.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

The best teaching experience that I have had was getting a student at the beginning of the year who had many problems, did not like school, and did not have a family. He was adopted early in the year, got two parents who loved him and a nice home to live in. He started to like school more and by the end of the year was one of the top students. It was amazing to see what a student can do if given a loving family and suitable home and teachers who will always help.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would use it to buy some supplies for the classroom and make a mini library in my classroom so students could have access to a multitude of books. This would encourage them to read more and hopefully fall in love with reading. The rest I would donate to a charity and help those less fortunate.