Shari Haldeman

Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a teacher because I watched my brother suffer so much in a system that didn’t “see” him. My brother was the only black student in an all white rural school, and he experienced a great deal of bullying and judgment based on his skin color, alone. I don’t believe that anyone had any bad intentions, it was simply a situation of lack of awareness. I vowed as a teacher I would “see” all kids as my first order of business and I would never lose that awareness.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

One of my most memorable teaching experiences is with a girl who had been deemed not fit for the classroom. Her learning took place in the hallway with a school aide. When she got to 3rd grade, I wanted to try to include her into the class. Kids looked very confused, even laughed, she had no friends. First day I made sure to highlight the beautiful coloring she was doing and I continued focusing on the positives. That year was the first year kids attended her birthday party-she was “seen”, loved

What would you do with the $25,000?

Sadly, I will pay off the my student loans. I know that is not a fun or terribly meaningful answer. However, as a single parent, paying this off would allow me to continue to support my daughter in her own education and dreams. Funny enough, she wants to be a teacher, as well. Her dream is to combine her love of nature and animals with the classroom. She plans to teach in public schools to begin and then would like to buy a farm and open a satellite school in the future. I want to help her.