Keli Leaden

Tell us why you became a teacher

My father's favorite quote was ~ "Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can." ~ John Wesley. This quote helped guide me into teaching because I wanted to DO ALL THE GOOD I could, and I thought being a teacher and making a difference in the lives of children was the perfect way to do it! I always wanted to be a teacher, no other career ever crossed my mind.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

Thirty-two years of teaching has left me with many wonderful and memorable teaching experiences. My overall favorite is receiving "love letters" from students. I have taught grades K, 1, 2, & 4 and now as a student support specialist I teach K-5 students, so the "love letters" range from pictures to long letters. My favorite one was a card that I received from two former students thanking me for preparing them for 5th grade. The cover was beautiful but wow the inside had my favorite memory!

What would you do with the $25,000?

There are so many things I would like to do with the $25,000. Honestly paying bills, doing updates to my home, and/or taking some nice vacations, would be some of the top choices. However, because the focus of this opportunity is driven by teaching, science, and Bill Nye, I would use part of the winnings for science related field trips for my school: aquariums, science centers, discovery museums, which we have many of in Connecticut. I would use what was left over for a mani/pedi for myself.