The former public school teacher will appear as a contestant on “Jeopardy!” during the program’s broadcast at 7:30 p.m. Monday (Sept. 24) on WLOS-TV.
After her audition last spring, when she learned that she had earned a spot on the show, Teitelbaum said, "If you'll excuse me, I have to go study geography now." She took personal leave from her faculty position at NCCAT to travel to California in July to compete on the game show.
Teitelbaum doesn’t remember exactly when she started watching “Jeopardy!” She did say that she’s been a fan of the show for so long that when she watches other game shows she answers their questions in the form of a question.
Does she have any advice for would-be contestants? “It’s all about the buzzer,” Teitelbaum said. “Everybody on the show is knowledgeable. Whoever gets a jump on the buzzer has the advantage. To win one game is difficult; to do what Ken Jennings did and win 74 consecutive games is remarkable.”
When asked about what motivated her to audition, Teitelbaum said with a grin, “I am a show-off and a know-it-all; that’s what drove me to be on ‘Jeopardy!’ ”
Increasing teacher effectiveness is fundamental to improving public education. NCCAT educates teachers and provides them with new knowledge, skills, teaching methods, best practices and information to take back to their classrooms. NCCAT conducts interdisciplinary, topic-specific seminars for pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers in the environmental and biological sciences, technology, mathematics, communication, leadership, and the arts and humanities. NCCAT’s instructional programming is designed to give teachers the support and resources they need to be highly effective and enhance student achievement. For more information about NCCAT’s instructional programs, visit www.nccat.org or call 828-293-5202.