Heather Garcia

Tell us why you became a teacher

My fifth grade teacher was amazing and I wanted to be like her!! She was kind and funny and I thought she was the smartest person in the world. She made her students feel like we could accomplish anything. I wanted to be that person for a child.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

I had the sweetest little girl that struggled in math and ELA. I did my best to break down skills so she could access information. Our State testing results for test two had her at a level one. She needed to move to a level three for proficiency. I felt this was an impossible feat, not for her but for me. I could not understand how to bridge that gap. I tried everything I could think of.... she did it!! Her final State test results was a 3 FOR BOTH Math and ELA!!!! I just sat and cried!!

What would you do with the $25,000?

With 25,000 I would buy tables for my classroom that don't wiggle and squeak. I would buy new supplies, such as markers, scissors and dry erase markers. I would love to get a podium to work from and a portable touch television to use while teaching.