Eva Roberts

Tell us why you became a teacher

I wanted to become a teacher because I care deeply about helping children grow and succeed. Teaching is one of the most meaningful professions. When I learned that many schools faced a shortage of speech therapists, I chose to help meet that need by becoming a speech-language pathologist. As the speech teacher at my school, I support students every day, and watching their confidence grow and seeing their pride in their progress is incredibly rewarding.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

One of my most memorable teaching experiences was with a student who began working with me in kindergarten and could only produce vowel sounds. Using multiple cueing strategies, I helped him learn consonant sounds over time. By sixth grade, he produced every sound correctly except /r/. Years later, I saw him as a young adult at a social event—his speech was perfect, and I was moved to tears.

What would you do with the $25,000?

If I won the $25,000 award for America’s Favorite Teacher, I would use it to help cover the cost of completing my doctoral studies and to create a small backyard paradise for my family and our two dogs.