Tell us why you became a teacher

You know when you ask a kid what they want to be when they grow up, and they say teacher, or doctor, or veterinarian. I wanted to be a teacher. The only certain thing I knew about myself my whole life, is that teaching is why I was put on this earth. I became the teacher I always wanted to have when I was a kid.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

So many memories flood forward when I consider my most memorable experience as a teacher. Some just challenege our ability to 'be the adult'. I will never forget my first year teaching, when I had this happen to me. We just got settled to take our big end of year state test, when the quietest, shiest kid in the room sneezed. That's not all that funny, sure. The thing is he also farted from the forces of the sneeze and the room was dead silent. The control it took. I will never forget it.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I have a dream of opening a small coffee shop when I retire. I want to teach crochet to whomever wants to learn. Some of the money would go to that. Some would be used to go on cruise. What's left will be saved up for life after the coffee shop.