Tell us why you became a teacher

The reason I became a teacher wasn’t because I was my child’s first teacher, I was my child’s first Google, First encyclopedia, first map for reality. So, I wanted to give others children that experience. I wanted to teach them the why behind real life situations. Like, hot, stoves, and busy streets, modeling, how to treat people long before ever being able to read a book. That was the kind of magic, watching a child get it. Every brick I gave them was foundational independence.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

Being a child’s first teacher is out in the Hardy shop because there’s no syllabus and the student never goes home. It’s exhausting, but it’s also the most influential role anyone could hold. I can remember I was doing my student teaching in a middle school setting. The students were really lost polynomials. They began to ask for assistance, I modeled and guided students. One of the veteran teachers told me that she thought that was my fault the way I was so explicit and thorough with patience.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would first plant a seed within the Title I school that I am part of, moving beyond just buying supplies, but creating lasting a legacy of learning. I will cross curriculums with nature by planting vegetables and flowers, gardening. Bringing experts in to talk to students, model for students, and gas students, and how to be an effective gardener, glowing their own food.