Tell us why you became a teacher

From a very young age, my older brothers told me that I was so bossy, I should be a teacher! Lol! I guess the prophecy came true! Seriously, I had some of the greatest teachers who made such an impact on my life! But, my grandparents & parents who were all teachers inspired me the most! It has truly been such an honor to be a teacher all these years!!

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

I have always enjoyed using object lessons in teaching. I believe any time you can incorporate all of the students senses, they will remember. One lesson we learned in a book we were reading was that you can’t always tell from outward appearances what something or who someone truly is. It was October and the perfect time to use candied apples in my lesson, except I used an onion instead of an apple for one. I chose a student whom I knew their parents would not sue me!

What would you do with the $25,000?

I am retiring at the end of this school year, but I am not eligible to receive retirement payments for a few years, so most of the money will go into savings. I would love to treat my family to a trip to Disney World. I would also give a nice donation to the school where I have taught for the past 24 years.