Kristina Wagner

Connect Tell us why you became a teacher

I have known that I wanted to become a teacher since I was very young. I always played "school" at home and made my brothers pretend to be my students growing up. Throughout my teens and early twenties, I did anything I could to get more experience teaching children. I babysat, tutored, and taught swim lessons to a variety of students. I have always had such a strong feeling of fulfillment when working with others and teaching someone something new. I knew I joined the right profession!

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

The most memorable teaching experience I have is from my time teaching middle school. I truly feel like teaching middle school is for a special type of person. The experiences I have had with my students over the years go beyond the classroom. I love the population I teach because I feel as though I provide a sense of predictability and stability in their day. The vast majority of the students I teach have difficult backgrounds, therefore I feel as thought I continually support them through SEL.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would use the money for supplies and resources to fund more after school programs for my students. Many of them want to get involved, but struggle to find something that they are genuinely interested in. Getting more funding would allow me to get materials for activities that my students find interesting. My background is in middle school science, therefore I would love to promote more science exploration, along with activities that promote the cultures that my students can connect with.