I’m sure you’ll all agree that teachers are the best. In honor of National Teacher Day (May 7) I sat down with NFPA’s " 2001 Teacher of the Year" Connie Rowden, a second grade teacher at the Cirby School in Roseville, CA. Mrs. Rowden and I had a great time talking about her classroom and what it’s like being a teacher. Here’s what she had to say:

Question #1: First things first: should I call you Mrs. Rowden or Connie?
CR: First of all, only in front of my students am I referred to as Mrs. Rowden. So please, do call me Connie.
Question #2: Do your students think it’s pretty cool that you’re the 2001 Teacher of the Year?
CR: My students thought it was very cool that I won the 2001 Teacher of the Year award. They especially liked the Risk Watch pencils that I brought back for them from the NFPA fall conference, where I accepted my award. They thought the pencils were the coolest!
Question #3: What’s the best thing about being a teacher?
CR: The best part about teaching is simply the pure joy of working with the kids. If you really work with your students, they can mold you into being a great teacher.
Question #4: What's the most important thing you teach the kids in your class about staying safe?
CR: The most important thing I try to teach my students about staying safe, is to always be aware of where you are and what you're doing.
Question #5: What was your favorite book when you were a kid (and why)?
CR: I think my favorite book when I was growing up was a book called "Fuzzy Mittens for Three Little Kittens." My two sisters and I each got a copy of this book from our parents. And since there were three of us, we had fun deciding which kitten was who. The patterns on the kittens' mittens were fuzzy which made it fun to rub the mittens as we read. By the way, the kids loved YOUR story (The Story of Sparky the Fire Dog). We keep a copy of it in our room and the kids also made a book out of your ABCs.
Question #6: What's your favorite kind of dog (wink, wink!)
CR: Of course, the Dalmatian is my dog of choice. You're the kids' top choice, too. Thank you for this interview...and thank you for everything you've done -- and continue to do -- for kids everywhere.