Tell us why you became a teacher

When I was a young student, I had some very negative experiences with math. It intimidated me and I began to fear the subject and the class itself. It got to the point I would get physically ill during class. I became a teacher to make math and learning fun. I want to let ALL children know that they CAN DO HARD THINGS! I want them to know that they have nothing to fear and that I am always on their side. If they struggle that is OK, we will fight together and we will conquer any mountain.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

I had an 8 year old girl iny class one year. She struggled a lot with math and she had zero confidence in herself. She would refuse to work and get very upset if she didn't understand. She and I spent countless hours working and tutoring and slowly we started building her confidence. The better she did the more she wanted to do. The last text she took in my class she scored a 90 and when I graded it, I screamed and ran to show her. We both cried together and she said she would never forget me.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would donate part of it as a scholarship for a graduating Senior. I would want it to go to a student that did not always have the best scores but that tried their best and never gave up. I would also use part of it to purchase various things needed for my elementary campus. We need things like headphones, noise canceling headphones, flexible seating and sensory activities.