Connect Tell us why you became a teacher

The truth is, when I started teaching I regarded it as a temporary job. Back in 1979, while I tried to figure out what important service I wanted to do when “ I grew up,.” I took a teaching job in the Houston area. I did not intend to make it my career. But overtime, I realized I was actually performing one of the most important public services I could have chosen. It has became a calling and I’ve been teaching for 45 years.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

For me, there is not one big memorable moment that stands out in my mind. The most important and memorable things that keep me going as a teacher are those small moments when I’m looking at my students and I see in their eyes the flash that says “I understand”. Often it’s something that they have heard over and over again that never quite made sense to them, but maybe I used a word or a phrase that unlocked their minds and helped them understand. Those moments have kept me going.

What would you do with the $25,000?

That’s an awesome question. I think the first thing I would do would be to pay off some bills to benefit my family. Then I think I would devote part of it to helping some of my students with their supplies. My school performs a shoe drive every year to help students whose families are needy and I would love to help expand that program. And selfishly, I would use part of it to buy a vintage car I’ve been saving up for over the past 10 years, so that I can have a little fun.