Jessica Manning

Tell us why you became a teacher

As I started working with kids I realized I wanted to help students with the things I struggled with as a student. I wasn’t a strong reader and always felt stupid in the classroom. I wanted to create a classroom where kids felt capable of learning anything. I strive to work as hard as the students and fight for them with whatever they need. I have such fond memories of my childhood watching Bill Nye in the classroom and enjoy any time I can show it to my students.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

My memorable moments add up over time. The boy who came to 5th grade and didn’t know his letter sounds but left being able to read words. The girl who struggled to come school, but left 3rd grade a happier kid. The girl who struggled with anger and could only calm down with the help learned to tell her brain to calm down. The girl who worked hard all year to get off her IEP and now is flourishing. They all are memorable because they changed each kids life in different ways.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would like to purchase materials for a science cart at our school. Often times teachers purchase materials for experiments with their own money. Kids love hands on learning but it can get expensive to buy materials year after year. If we had a cart with containers, microscopes, string, etc teachers could plan activities and get kids excited about learning.