Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a teacher because my 1st grade teacher left such an impression on me that I never forgot her. Years later, after graduating, I would go back to teach at the very elementary school that I attended. Unfortunately, she passed away before I got there as an adult. I did work with many of her colleagues, though. It was such a great experience to hear many stories about my hero's days of being a teacher directly from her coworkers over the years that I was able to teach there!

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

I feel the most memorable experience has happened many times. Everytime I see that “a-ha” moment happen on a student’s face during a lesson, it reminds me why I love teaching so much. Fortunately, this is something that happens frequently & keeps the fire alive inside of me in a field where it’s easy to get burned out. This feeling is something I don’t ever want to forget.

What would you do with the $25,000?

If I had the chance to take home $25,000, I would use it to pay off all of my bills & then put the rest towards my kids’ educations. They’re on the cusp of emerging into the world on their own soon & I would love to be able to help them do that so they can reach their own educational goals. It’s my hope that they will eventually be able to help others in their own perspective roles as professional adults and be able to focus on that instead of how they’re going to pay bills on their own.