Jaclynn Williams

Connect Tell us why you became a teacher

I've known I wanted to be a teacher since I was a little girl. My mom was a teacher and I just...grew up knowing that's what I wanted to do. I used to record tapes of myself pretending to teach. I've always loved working with kids and felt teaching was the best way to use my interests of writing, science, literature, and more to make a difference. I've now been in the classroom for twenty years and can't imagine doing anything else...every morning I look forward to seeing what the day holds.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

During the pandemic I decided to go back to school to get a masters degree in Gifted Ed. I love it all...robotics, logic-based games, passion projects, and student-directed literature circles. My most memorable teaching experiences: * In 2023, when my students took two of the top three places in the University of KS school of engineering catapult competition. * I also loved when the students put together a homemade donut sale to raise money to present to a local charity. They raised over $100!

What would you do with the $25,000?

In November of 2024, we unexpectedly lost our only child to an undiagnosed heart condition. We are working on putting together a non-profit called Books for Teddy in his name. So far we have donated over 1,500 books to hospitals, foundations for kids with special needs, mental health facilities, and more. I would love to put some of the $25,000 to start up this organization officially and use the rest as a downpayment on a new house closer to where I work (I've been commuting since 2007).