Why were you inspired to teach?

According to my sister’s best friend, Annie, being a teacher was my destiny. She claims that she knew I would be a teacher when she was three years old. I would come home from kindergarten and require her and my sister to play school with me. Of course, I was the teacher, and they were the students. Apparently, I would teach them everything I had learned at school that day. I have no memory of this.

As far as inspiration? I was blessed to have lots of terrific teachers, but one teacher in particular really sparked a love of learning in me. She asked tough questions and offered few answers. Ms. Ileana Vila, my government teacher, made me want to learn. I want that for my students – for them to take what they’ve learned and use it to dig for more.

What is your favorite part of the school day?

I love all of it. If I had to pick just one favorite moment, it would be the drive to school. I’m excited to see my students, looking forward to teaching them something new, watching their minds come alive. The anticipation of another exciting day.

Do you have a favorite assignment that you typically assign your students?

I love teaching Lois Lowry’s The Giver. The students learn a color-coding technique to annotate the text. They learn to trace the theme of a book through the novel and then compare the theme with the movie version. I dress differently (no spoilers!) for almost the entire unit. My former students will see one of my outfits, stop in and ask randomly, “Are you teaching The Giver right now?” Wink-wink. Current students ask, “How’d they know that?” It’s so fun when we read the part in the book where it gets explained and they figure out why.

How do you wind down after a long day of teaching?

I eat dinner with my family. It is a priority and something I cherish. On nights where there is no paper grading, I watch TV with my girls. I am the reigning champion of determining the twists in the plot before they have been revealed.