Bri Dredge, 32, won the money on the popular game show, Millionaire Hot Seat that aired Thursday night, will use her winnings to help students at her K through Year 8 school.
All 200 students at Yuille Park Community College will receive a pair of warm, leather shoes to get them through Ballarat’s long, cold winter.
The generous teacher is happy with her decision to give away money, despite her modest salary.
“I walked into school and every student in the whole school has given me a hug and said thank you,” Dredge told AAP on Friday. “The look on their faces was worth all the money that I won.”
Dredge got a little help from game show host, Eddie McGuire who wouldn’t let her lock in an incorrect answer too quickly.
The question asked Dredge to complete the title of a T. S. Eliot book beginning “Old Possum’s Book of Practical.”
Dredge was offered four options: a) Birds, b) Cats, c) Advice and d) Poetry. The teacher initially favored “Poetry,” but the McGuire said, “have another think” and then she correctly answered “Cats.”
Dredge had committed in advance to spending the money on students while on the TV program. Host McGuire admitted to Melbourne’s Herald Sun that he was pulling for the teacher:
“It was her act of kindness. I couldn’t help but get swept up in it,” McGuire said, “The whole idea for people to come on the show is to get a little bit of magic, a little bit of gold dust to come their way.”
While Dredge’s donation to her kids is generous, teachers commonly dig into their own pockets to give to their students. A recently report found that 91 percent of U.S. teachers buy classroom supplies out of their own money.
The $20,000 winnings in Australian dollars amount to about $14,800 in U.S. dollars.
