Kilie Pauley

Tell us why you became a teacher

I hated the adage that if you can't do it, then teach it. I'm not one to brag, but I could "do" English quite well, thanks. Knowledge is universal and ignorance is not a shameful thing. It's the need for knowledge, for understanding. I'm a small piece in the universe - awfully lucky to be here in the words of my father's favorite author, Bill Bryson - but if I can share the joy of discovery, of language, of power in stories with even one other small piece, then I'll die a happy person.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

None of my memorable experiences have anything to do with test scores or metrics. I remember the bellyaching laughter of my first field trip group squeezing into a fake igloo at the North Carolina Zoo. I still smell the hot chocolate and craft glue of my first Shine Time group of incredible young ladies (and the hideous crown of gingerbread houses they made me). I have a short note from a young man who immigrated from Mexico, thanking me for simply smiling each day, tacked to my corkboard.

What would you do with the $25,000?

My son is my favorite student (I know, we tell the kids all the time we don't have them, but I'm partial to him). Even though he's 4 years old right now, I want him to have every opportunity to study whatever he wants when the time comes. My husband and I are both public educators, and unless there's a rich uncle kicking around somewhere, I know we'll be footing our son's education ourselves. $25,000 could go a long way toward that goal.