BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A pre-kindergarten teacher at Bethlehem Christian School is competing to become America’s Favorite Teacher.
Debbie Merisca, 49, is in the quarter-finals of the national contest. There are nine other teachers in her competition group vying for a spot in the semi-finals.
As of late Thursday night, Mersica was in second place. The current round of voting closes 10 p.m. today, April 17.
“I wanted to really make an impact on the world and feel like I was giving back in some way.”Debbie Merisca
America’s Favorite Teacher will be announced at the end of May after two more rounds of competition. This is the second year the contest has taken place.
In addition to a free daily vote, supporters can cast additional votes for teachers by making a donation that will support The Planetary Society, the world's largest nonprofit space organization.
The winner of the America's Favorite Teacher contest will get $25,000 in prize money, a trip to Hawaii and a feature in Reader’s Digest.
Bill Nye the Science Guy — a famous science educator and chief executive officer of The Planetary Society — will also be part of a virtual assembly for the winning teacher’s school.
Since 2018, Merisca has been teaching at Bethlehem Christian’s lower campus on Hecktown Road. The private school has two campuses and serves students in preschool through 12th grade.
Merisca is also an assistant basketball coach for the school’s freshman team.
From corporate to Pre-K
Before she began teaching, Merisca, an Easton-based mother of two, worked in the hospitality industry for Marriott Hotels.
“After a while, I just felt like I wanted to make a different impact instead of just pushing out reports or doing things like that on that corporate level,” Merisca said.
“I wanted to really make an impact on the world and feel like I was giving back in some way.”
“I just feel like if I build a good foundation at this age then it will trickle into the rest of their life."Debbie Merisca
Merisca got a Childhood Development Associate certification and now works with 4- and 5-year-olds.
She teaches them about numbers, letters, the calendar and problem-solving. Students also develop fine motor skills through playing with each other and learn about routines by participating in the school day, Merisca said.
“I just feel like if I build a good foundation at this age then it will trickle into the rest of their life,” she said.
“By the end of the year, when you see how much they’ve developed and how much they've grown, it really is a great fulfillment.”
If she wins the competition, Merisca said she would use the prize money to help buy a house for her family.
She also would use the funds to develop creative learning opportunities for Bethlehem Christian students, she said.
