Tracey Washington

Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a teacher because a teacher meant so much to me. I was a 7th grade dropout, and I went back to school at night to get my GED. Mrs. Easley made the transition an easy one. She made me feel comfortable coming to class and I was able to focus on the lessons. So much so, that I passed the entire GED test on the first try! I wanted to be to kids what she was for me!

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

After teaching an essay writing class. I planned a lesson called, "Show, Don't Tell" wherein the students had to describe a word instead of just writing the word in a paragraph. For example, instead of writing, "It was so dirty," they could write, "the film on the car was like the dust from a thousand camels running through the red, hot sands of the desert." The kids enjoyed it so much that the next classes came in talking about it because the buzz was out and they all wanted to do it, too.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would take myself on a well deserved vacation. I would love to put some stamps in my passport or take a 7 day cruise! The rest would be put away for retirement which is three years away! That would help supplement my pension tremendously! Twenty-two years in the classroom. Some good, and some strenuous, but I wouldn't trade it for anything! I have met some amazing kids along the way!