Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a teacher to show students possibilities. As much as I love science, I do not need them to love science. I want them to see my love and passion not just for science and animals and people and the world, but for life and how amazing it is. I tell every class that I start the day by saying “Today will be a good day.” I want them to take this and use it to view the world with kindness and possibility for awesome change.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

This is not a science experience but it was a teaching one. I was chaperoning my 8th graders on their DC field trip. We went to the Holocaust Memorial Museum. One student was walking through with me when we passed a display showing Nazis throwing babies out of windows. She asked me why they could do this and why people let them do it. The genuine and empathetic conversation we had was very memorable to me. I could see that student’s care for the world expand before my eyes.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would increase experiences and interactions for my students. I want to be able to purchase discussion starters: wet specimen oddities, models of the solar systems, and classroom hydroponics sets. I would get beautiful sets of books with colorful diagrams. Anything that I think would make my classroom a more welcoming space would be on my list. I would love to stock up on general classroom supplies like timers, calculators, beakers, and batteries.