Rob List

Tell us why you became a teacher

I get to impact lives everyday in a positive way. Although routines are basically the same everyday, teaching is the ultimate groundhogs day type of job. Every day is a fresh start. A chance for a kid to have a rough day to an unbelievable day. It’s even better when we are the reason they had that great day. Teaching is marathon and not a sprint. It’s a wild ride that brings a lot of joy and satisfaction.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

One of my most memorable experiences involved teaching student about 25 years ago who had a lot of behavior problems. It was early in my teaching career and it really challenged me as a professional. We caught up during his senior year. I had him as a 7th grader. He let me know that I was his favorite teacher and appreciated how much I cared about him. I told him that I appreciated the kind words and how he forced me to be a better teacher and how to manage challenging students.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would give some of it back to my school to help with current initiatives and to help support areas / programs that are needed to help our students. I would use the rest to help with credit card debt and towards my house.