Patty Carmichael

Tell us why you became a teacher

In college, I started out in music performance, playing the flute. I quickly realized that the career of a professional musician involved quite a bit of solitary time practicing in isolation, all in order to perform for people you would never get to meet! My advisor saw something in me, and suggested I observe a Montessori kindergarten. My first day in that classroom, I was hooked. I loved working with the children, watching them discover new learnings and being a part of their joy!

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

My favorite activity every year is when the kids role play a Colorado Gold Rush town in our fourth grade classroom. It’s a great way to integrate all of the math we have learned into a creative and interactive little town! The kids have a blast trading their gold nuggets for money at the assayers before visiting the shops their friends have set up. We have a pony express, we set up a little school room, we have a blacksmith shop, we even have kids building a little railroad in the hall!

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would love to get a smart board for my room, a rug, and some plants to make my little classroom forest I set up in the reading area feel more homey! ! I’d love to be able to visit Iceland or Hawaii to see the volcanoes because I teach about those every year, and I’d love to bring back videos to the kids. And I’d love to help my own grown kids, a firefighter, nurse and teacher with their own student loans.