Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a teacher to help show students their potential for success. Negative self-talk is high in almost every student I encounter and they hardly have people in their corner to cheer them on. I ensure my students understand their potential, and I become their personal cheerleader to help and support them.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

My most memorable teaching experience was last school year. The district could not find another teacher to take the Resource position at one of the elementary sites, so I was forced to double up my workload. I hadn't taught elementary since 2017, so it was a huge learning curve. Overall, the experience was amazing and opened the door to new strategies that I now use for my middle school students.

What would you do with the $25,000?

With the $25,000, I would use it to purchase more resources for the special education program at my school. These resources would provide our students with more opportunities to access the general curriculum and achieve their academic goals in hopes of exiting our program. I would also set aside some money to better support my family endeavors.