I always knew from when I was a little girl that I wanted to be a teacher. I wanted to call on the raised hands and pass out the papers. I wanted to choose the partners and ask the questions. As I grew up that morphed into wanting to be the change and make the difference. I wanted to give the foundation and set people up for success. I wanted to be a small part of raising good humans that the world needs more of. It took me a while to find my way to teaching but my life is forever changed.

My most memorable teaching experience would be having a student come to my class that was non verbal and had severe special needs. At first I was so intimidated because I did not know how to help her as a general education teacher. As time went on and we waited for her supports, she started showing me her heart. All she wanted was love and friendship. We became the best of friends without being able to speak. She taught me what the meaning of teaching is and I am forever grateful to her.

$25,000 would be so life changing for me. I would use most of it to pay off my private student debt. I spend a lot of my own money on school supplies, classroom supplies, items for my students like clothes extra food, etc. so I think I would use the rest and make some home fixes that are long overdue. Let’s be honest I will probably end up spending a good chunk on these crazy kiddos as well!