Leah Fleming

Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a history teacher to share my passion and love for history and art history. I had some great teachers along the way to start that fire and had some bad ones in other subjects. It made me realize how important good teachers are to continue knowing about our past and making connections to current issues. I don’t teach the students to memorize dates, I want them to get interested in history so they will continue to be lifelong learners.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

After teaching for 31 years I have so many but the one that sticks in my mind is the day of 9/11. I remember sitting in front of the tv with my students every hour watching live footage. We would look up anything that we did not understand or never heard of. We held hands. We hugged each other. We were scared and I’m glad we were all there for one another. It may not have been our planned lesson for the next couple days but it was the most important one.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would first pay off my debt that has grown over the years since my salary is not that big and my husband is also a teacher. We wanted to make sure all three of our children received a college education debt free as well so they could get a fresh start. I would also like to donate to a school fund that buys athletic shoes for students who cannot afford their own. Most sports at high school provide a uniform but the students have to buy their own shoes. I would hate for that to be a reason why t