Connect Tell us why you became a teacher

I had considered teaching, but chose another direction and quickly became a terribly unhappy business student. In an odd set of coincidences, a professor at school noted I had a natural gift for sharing knowledge and I should consider teaching as a career. My parents told me if I could accept being "rich, but not wealthy," they would support the change. I realized that making a difference in the world meant more than making money after all. I never looked back - and my life IS rich.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

My 8th grade girl was uninterested in a placement test for Freshman biology. I saw her potential when she didn't believe in herself. With my encouragement, she took that test and became an accelerated bio student. Almost twenty years later, a woman met me at a school event with "You probably don't remember..." and related how that push to take the test set her on her career in biotechnology and gene splicing. She thanked me for changing her life. It was a powerful and humbling experience.

What would you do with the $25,000?

Elementary teachers are generally not science specialists, and science can often seem unapproachable or difficult to teach. I want to demystify science for them. I would like to create self-contained complete science "lessons in a box." They would be tailored in scope and sequence to match our school's scaffolded science curriculum, yet be simple enough to be administered by any elementary teacher. Money not spent initially could be set aside for restocking supplies after each use.