Donna Smith

Tell us why you became a teacher

I knew at the young age of 7 as I brought home extra school work to play school with my dolls and stuffed animals. My mother was a custodian at my local elementary school and she brought me to work with her since my dad worked shift work as a police officer . I had the opportunity to sit in the library, in the oval cut out steps and pick any book I wanted and sit and read while she performed her tasks. I would often help in the classroom and pretend to be the teacher. My dream came true!

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

My most memorable teaching experience was during COVID and watching the students navigate through the everyday challenges. It took a lot of work, patience, and dedication to keep my students engaged and motivated as we only taught half the class for two days the other half the other two days and virtual one day. This was challenging but the students persevered and showed off their ability to do hard things. I will never forget that.

What would you do with the $25,000?

If I had $25,000, I’d like to give back to our local community & school to help students who struggle with reading and math. I’d also love to take a trip to another country and learn how school is the same or different in that region. I’d most likely spend some of the $ on my two grandsons, probably add more books to their book collection!