Living her dream: when she was growing up, Tara Sparks wanted to be her teachers. In preschool, she wanted to be Miss Alicia, keeper of the toys and guardian of naptime.(up front)

HER THIRD-GRADE HERO, Mr. Washington, gave the class fun math projects and rewarded them with boogie time. Her eighth-grade muse was Mrs. Schukai, a drama and English teacher who inspired Sparks to follow in her footsteps. Sparks even envied the kids whose parents were teachers. There was a brief stint in the sixth grade when Sparks wanted to be an architect, but luckily for Missouri's students, she came to her senses.

Today, Sparks teaches eighth-grade English at Sperring Middle School in St. Louis, and like the teachers who inspired her when she was growing up, she's making a powerful impact on the academic and personal lives of her students. Although only 28 years …