Tell us why you became a teacher

My third grade teacher inspired me. She impacted my life in such a huge way! Indirectly, she taught me how important teachers truly are.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

Teaching during Covid was absolutely the most memorable experience I’ve had. I switched from teaching 4th grade science, to teaching my entire district’s 4th grade virtual learners all subjects. Including art, music, and physical education. There was no blue print, no curriculum, no guidance from experienced teachers. This was new and it was from scratch. It has influenced the way I run my classroom, still today, 5 years after the start of the pandemic.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would donate some of it to a green house and garden for the school I currently work at. My students always ask about something like that during our Life Science lessons. The rest of it would be invested into my own children’s futures. It would give them a good start, one I couldn’t afford on my own.